


Reflections

by VoidDragonQueen



Series: Fusion!AU [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Manipulation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Rating May Change, Spoilers, harry potter levels of obliviousness, his own timeline gets spoiled for him and he doesnt even notice, the relationship tags sound strange but it makes sense once you read the premise i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-06-26 17:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15668283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidDragonQueen/pseuds/VoidDragonQueen
Summary: While waiting around for the day to send Sae Nijima a calling card, hunting down targets in Mementos, Akira stumbles his way into a portal and into a new world. While he struggles with getting around and finding his way, the Thieves have to deal with Arsene, who is also confused and struggling with the new world he was thrust into. Now, all of them have to work separately to get both of them back home to their own world, which is easier said than done.





	1. Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> Me, back at it again with another AU! This is set at the end of Sae's Palace, so spoilers ahead. I'm gonna try to limit myself to 6 chapters for this fic but that may change really.

The dark and claustrophobic feeling of Mementos never changed. Akira stared out the nearest window as Makoto drove, partially listening to the idle chatter of his friends. Akechi was taking a nap next to him, and no one wanted to wake him up right at the moment. Akira was worried about letting him try to replace his sleep with caffeine. Of course, even keeping in mind that Akechi was planning on betraying them, Akira still worried about him from time to time. He held a little hope that he could change Akechi’s mind before it was too late, but he never voiced this to the group. He felt they wouldn't understand.

_ Maybe. Maybe I can. There’s a chance. _

As they drove around, looking at that one last request target, something caught his eye. It glowed a soft purple color, dusting the wall across from it.

“Hey, did you guys see that?”

“Hm? The target is below us, Joker. I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah, but it looked suspicious. We should go check it out. Better safe than sorry.”

“Well, you’re the leader after all. I think it’d be worth it if it’s bothering you.”

Akechi gave him a small smile after he spoke, making Akira’s heart flutter. He turned his attention to the door handle, waiting as Morgana came to a stop. They climbed out, Morgana changing back to his cat form. Akira jumped over the little wall of floor signs, following the glow of the light. He could hear the others close behind as he turned the corner. It was about the size of a window just big enough for him to crawl through, slowly fading in brightness as time passed. Akira walked towards it, holding a hand out to see if he could go through it. As soon as he touched it, it started to pull him in.

“Shit.”

“Joker?”

He tried to backpedal, only succeeding in dragging his feet along the floor as the pull got stronger. He stopped suddenly, being thrown forward. He could see Ryuji try to grab him before he fell flat on his face into hard, gray dirt. 

“Ow.”

He pushed himself up, taking in his surroundings, seeing he was on a cliff of some sort. There was lights in the distance, but nothing he could really make out from here. It looked like it was sometime around sunset, based on the orange color of the sky. He turned around to go back through the portal and found nothing there.

_ Oh, fantastic. Just what I needed. _

Someone bumped into him, something soft tickling exposed skin. He turned to see Arsene tilt his head and pat himself down.

“Ah, I seem to have gained physical form.”

Akira stared at Arsene, just as confused as he was. He brushed his hand against one of his wings, pulling it back as he felt real feathers.

“Huh. Weird. But it seems like we're stuck. And there's… a city over there, I think?”

“That means people who can help get us back.”

Akira peered over the edge, trying to calculate whether he could survive the drop. It was a hill with a sharp incline, but still doable if he could get the angle right.

“Well, if you're still here, and I'm still in my thief outfit, that means it won't hurt if I drop, right?”

“Wait, I don't think-"

Akira already stepped off the steep hill, Arsene flying after him. Akira started sliding down, keeping balance for a moment before he tumbled, rolling down with no way to stop himself. Arsene dove, grabbing one of his arms, slowing him down. Akira and Arsene were now just dragging each other down the hill, Akira too dizzy to stand up again. Reaching the bottom, Arsene helped him up, watching him stagger a bit.

“Let's proceed carefully from now on.” 

Arsene’s voice was soft, but scolded him with a look. Akira rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

“Yeah, good plan.”

Akira could see Arsene holding back a sigh as he turned and started walking towards the lights.   
  


Clearly, this world wasn't made for humans. Akira thought he was pretty fit, having been running around the Metaverse for so long, but there were many places he couldn't even reach here without Arsene's help. To even get to the city they had to climb up more steep hills and ford a strong river. In the city, ledges were twice his jumping height, he couldn't run up the wall long enough to get himself up on an opposite wall, and things that looked climbable were slippery smooth. 

“This is ridiculous.” Akira huffed.

He leaned back against the wall of the building, whose window he was trying to get up to by himself for what felt like the past half hour. 

“I can just fly us up.”

“I know, but aren't you getting tired doing that all the time?”

They hadn't seen anyone at all out and about. It was starting to get darker out. Which made it harder to see anything coming.

“Arsene? Back already? Did you see anything weird?”

Akira and Arsene stared at each other as they recognized that voice.

“Ryuji?” Akira whispered, not sure if he was hearing things.

“Sounds like it.”

“Arsene? Hello?”

Akira walked towards the voice, Arsene fluttering beside him.

“Oh, there you are! I was-"

Arsene yelped as he was picked up, Akira freezing as he stared up at what looked like his friend. Except he was also Captain Kidd at the same time.

“What happened? Who did this to you?! Actually, don't answer that last one, I have a pretty good idea who.”

“Oh my god have I finally lost it?” 

Ryuji suddenly noticed Akira too, bewildered. Akira snorted, doubling over and having a giggling fit.

_ I've officially lost it. _

“Akira, this isn't funny.” Arsene huffed, snapping the other persona’s attention to him.

Ryuji let Arsene go, and the two of them waited until Akira stopped to catch his breath. Arsene was glaring at him.

“Sorry, this is too much. First the portal and now this. Hi Ryuji.”

“Umm, wrong person laddie. Name’s Captain Kidd. Or just Kidd. And what portal?”

“We got here through a portal. I'm not sure why, or how. But we're a bit lost.” 

Arsene explained as Akira regained his composure, fixing his hair in the process. 

“Yeah. Sorry about that. What Arsene said.”

“But aren't you Arsene?”

Akira tilted his head to the side.

“Huh?”

“Er, I guess you both are? Hm. This is weird. But I have an idea of who made that portal in the first place. C'mon, let’s go.”

Akira stood up, sharing a confused look with Arsene.

“Where are we going?”

“To find who did this and make them put you back. Let's go before it gets too dark.”

Captain Kidd floated down the street in his boat, Arsene and Akira falling in behind him.

“Hey, where is everyone anyway?”

“Hm?”

“There's no one walking around and no lights on. Is no one home?”

“I mean, it is almost night time, you know.”

Akira was struggling to keep up with the other two as they floated up ahead. He now wished he had just taken Arsene’s offer to just fly him everywhere.

~~~~~~~

“Goddamnit!” Ryuji snarled.

They had all watched as Ryuji was a second too late to grab Akira and prevent him from falling into the glowing portal. The Thieves all looked at each other.

“Now what? Joker just disappeared! Can we even find another of those things?”

“I'm trying! I’m a great navigator, not a miracle worker.” 

Futaba was already on the ground, laptop open, typing away. 

“Maybe we should move into a safe room before you get too into that.” Akechi suggested. “The shadows will ambush us if we aren't careful.”

“Yeah, good point.”

“And just leave Joker behind?!”

“Well, clearly he’s not coming back anytime soon.”

Soon they all heard a flap of wings close by. They all moved to hide against anything they could find. 

“What was that? Where is it coming from?” Ann whisper-yelled.

They heard a short whoop as something rushed past them all, a strong gust hitting them as the thing turned left around the corner. Soon it was just flapping in place, and all of them stood very still, holding their breath.

“Oh, never been here before. It's so dark.” 

A voice from up ahead. A very familiar voice. The noise stopped, a click notifying them all it landed with a soft woosh. The glances between them confirmed they were all hearing the same thing. They heard something rustle.

“And closed off… uh. Huh. That's… not good.”

They could hear it walk closer, everyone tensing up. Makoto locked eyes with Ryuji, who was at the closest corner, and held up three fingers. He nodded, preparing to ambush the thing. He watched Makoto countdown and then signal. He rushed out at the creature. He swung, not expecting the thing to take to the air, his weapon ringing against the tracks.

“Whoa! What do you think you're doing?!”

“Joker?!”

The rest of them, already on the move to ambush the creature, skidded to a stop in their tracks. They were undoubtedly staring into Akira's face, but strangely he had many features with Arsene. The fiery eyes, the crooked horns, the fancy outfit he wore, but under all of that was still Akira’s rounded face and messy hair. Like he had been fused with his own persona flawlessly. Currently, he was almost hitting the ceiling with his wings.

“Who is Joker? And are you gonna try to… wait, Kidd?!”

He landed in front of Ryuji, tilting his head from side to side.

“What happened to you?!”

“Me? What happened to you?!”

“I’ve been like this! What do you mean what happened to me? Hey, wait, you tried to hit me!”

“You startled us!”

“Us?”

Akira seemed to finally notice everyone else behind Ryuji. He brightened up immediately, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“Oh, everyone is here! Hey guys! Man, it seems like it's been forever since we've all hung out, huh?”

“What.” Futaba broke the group's silence first.

“It's me, Arsene! Are you all pulling a prank on me? You're all really short all of a sudden too. And look… weird…”

He tilted his head again, puzzled. He hummed, tapping a finger to his chin. He stopped suddenly, looking over all of them again.

“Kidd, Carmen, Johanna, Goemon, Milady, Necronomicon, Zorro…” 

He was pointing to each of them in turn, muttering under his breath. He suddenly backpedaled a moment, confused surprise on his face as his eyes landed on Akechi. Akechi shifted under his gaze, unsettled by the stare down he was getting. Arsene flitted forward in a blink of an eye, invading his personal space as Akechi slammed himself against a wall, panicking at the sudden lack of distance. Arsene was just inches away from his face, staring intensely.

“Robin Hood?”

Arsene was in utter disbelief as he spoke. Akechi pressed himself as far into the wall as he could, feeling trapped.

“Can… May I please have some personal space?” He stammered.

Arsene ignored the request, tentatively raising a clawed finger towards his chest, poking him. Akechi let out an involuntary squeak as he felt the sharp claw press against his skin. Arsene took a few steps back, blinking rapidly. He seemed to be trying to put a puzzle together in his head as Akechi stared right back at Arsene. 

“Oooh kay. Well, why don't we all get to a safe room? So we can all talk without the shadows coming to kill us? Sound good?” 

Makoto’s voice echoed a bit, not hiding her underlying confusion about all of this.

“Right. C'mon gang, let's go.”

Morgana hopped forward to an open space, transforming into the bus.

“Whoa! Zorro, you can just  _ do _ that?” 

Arsene broke eye contact with Akechi to marvel at the cat bus. Akechi straightened up, brushing himself off.

“Um, long story. But first, let's get to a safe room. Hop in.”

Arsene watched the rest of the group file in before he followed, pausing by the door. He grabbed the edges of his wings, trying to mentally calculate how he could fit through the door. He started a few times, stopping and backing out of it, before he huffed.

“Can't fit. I'll just fly alongside.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Akechi sighed in relief after Ryuji closed the door. 

“What the hell was that?” Ryuji muttered.

The Thieves stared at each other before Makoto stepped on the gas to start on their way to the nearest safe room.

“I think there's a safe room close below us.” Futaba said, as if there wasn't a giant creature that looked like their friend flying alongside them right at the moment.

“Hey, you okay Crow? You hit that wall hard.”

“I wasn't expecting him to get that close that fast. I'm fine though, thanks.”

They talked about what they should say, what questions to ask, and if “Arsene" knew how to get back home so they could try and get the real Akira back. Akechi listened in, deep in thought. 

_ Why would he be surprised by me if he somehow already knew everyone else? _

_ Somehow he didn't notice me. _ Loki mentioned, slightly put off.

Akechi suppressed a giggle at Loki’s annoyance at being unrecognized.

~~~~~

Akira could see them waiting up ahead as he stopped to catch his breath. He was starting to hate the stairs of this world, some of them missing sections so he would have to jump. Otherwise, they were so many of them just to get anywhere.

“I could just fly you.”

“I'm fine. Just fuck stairs.”

Kidd pitied him with a look. 

“Hey, we're almost there. Just a few more flights.”

Akira groaned. He was starting to drag his feet out of exhaustion as the three of them kept climbing. This time they at least both slowed down so he could keep up.

“Just where are we even going?”

“The upper levels. That's where most of us live.”

Akira stopped at the top, catching his breath again. Arsene patted his shoulder as Kidd was looking around.

“Hey, Zorro! You up here?” 

“Yeah!”

“Come here for a second.”

Akira straightened up, glancing around them. This must've been the source of the lights they saw in the distance. Lots of colorful lights lined the streets and buildings, bathing ordinary greyish stone in a fuzzy rainbow of colors. Some of the places he recognised as Palaces they have previously been to and destroyed, though not quite the same. They looked like normal buildings now. There were shadows wandering around, almost like they were human. Akira tensed up as a couple passed close, but they just ignored him and kept walking. He forced himself to relax a little.

“Hey, what happened to Arsene?”

“Why are you asking me? I don't know!”

Akira turned, seeing Morgana talking to Kidd. Well, Zorro, really. The outfit seemed to really fit the cat ears and paws, and he spotted a tail swishing behind him in annoyance. Zorro looked over the two of them, humming in thought.

“Uh, hi. Zorro, right?”

“Well, it sounds like Arsene, at least.”

Akira sighs, ruffling his own hair. Zorro gets close to him, doing a thorough inspection of both of them. He walked around them in a circle, humming.

“Well?”

“I can't really do anything about this, if that's what you're asking. I don't think Johanna or Carmen can do anything about this either.”

“We just need to get back home. I'm sure that's where your Arsene is right now.” 

Akira crossed his arms, shifting under Zorro’s stare. Arsene protectively wraps a wing halfway around him, obscuring him slightly. 

“Zorro, have you seen you-know-who? I have a feeling he had something to do with this.”

“Are you going to pick a fight with him?”

“No. I know I'm not fast enough to catch him even if I wanted to. I just want to ask him.”

“Well, I haven't seen him today, but he might be in his usual spot.”

“Okay, thanks. We'll check there first, since it's across town.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Kidd. You’re not gonna get a straight answer out of him.”

“I can try.”

Akira watched as Kidd and Arsene started moving down a nearby side street.

“Actually, can I ask you something, Zorro?”

“Hm? What's up?”

“I was just wondering about this place. Is there a name for it? And what is your Arsene like?”

“Oh, well. There really isn't a name for this place, I'm afraid. This is just Home to us. As for Arsene, well. He's the youngest out of all of us, kinda reckless. He means well though.”

“Ah. Okay. Thanks Zorro.”

“Hey, no problem. If you need help navigating this place, just ask me.”

“I will. Bye.”

Akira went to catch up with Arsene and Kidd, who were chatting away. He took his time, peering into the buildings and enjoying how pretty the scenery was.

~~~~~~

“What is this place anyway?” 

Arsene was wandering around the safe room, poking and closely inspecting everything. They all watched him, talking quietly about how to explain everything to him. They just beat their last target for the day, and all of them were feeling tired now.

“Well, we call this place Mementos.” Morgana pipes up as Arsene walks back over.

“And you all live in a place like this?”

“Oh, no. This is a different world. We travel between our world and this one.”

“You can move between worlds? So you could get me back home?”

“Uh, no, sorry. Unfortunately it’s only here and our real world.”

“Oh.”

Arsene’s wings fell slightly as he got disappointed. He turned back to watching the trains run by, jumping a little at the noise.

“What’s that thing?”

“A train?” Ryuji lifts his head slightly, confused at the question.

“What’s it do?”

“What, don’t you have any ways of getting around besides walking?”

At that, Arsene unfurls his wings, raising an eyebrow at Ryuji.

“Oh, right. Duh.”

They watch as he folds the wings up again, walking towards the little seating area. He plops down outside one of the openings with a sigh. He criss crosses his legs, slouching a bit.

“How do you stand this place? It’s so dark and cold and closed.”

“We’re kinda used to it by now.” Haru admitted.

Arsene hummed, putting his face in his hand, leaning his elbow into his leg. He started watching Akechi intently as the others started talking about what to do. Akechi made eye contact with Arsene when he realized that he was being watched.

“Will you please stop staring at me like that?” 

Arsene’s face flickered with panic before he turned away, staring at the trains as they passed by.

“Sorry. I just... haven’t seen you in forever, Robin.”

The wings flattened halfway against the ground as he said that. He stole glances at Akechi every now and again. The others paused for a moment, staring at Arsene.

“What, have we stopped being friends in your world, Arsene?”

“No. But…” 

Arsene stopped, staring at Akechi. His head drooped, the wings sliding down even more.

“Oh, I don’t want to say. I don’t want to remember all of that.” He murmured.

They watched as he brought the wings up and around himself, as if to shield him.

“Hey, you okay dude?” Ryuji asked.

“Maybe I can talk about that a little later? I just got here, really, and I’m in a good mood. I don’t wanna ruin it, y’know?”

“Well, in any case, it seems like we might have to try to find this thing tomorrow.” Futaba shut her laptop with a click. “I can’t get a lock on that portal thing. Besides, I’m getting tired.”

“Yeah, we probably should go home for today.” Makoto got up and stretched.

“Oh, can I come with you guys? I want to see where you guys live.”

Arsene sat up, smiling as the wings folded back again.

“Uh, not sure if that’s a good idea… but we can see?” Ann offered.

“Yeah, okay. Sounds good!”

As they drove up to the entrance, Futaba turned to look at Ann.

“Why did you say that?”

“Look, I dunno, I just wanted to be polite, okay? Besides, I don’t know if he can even leave the Metaverse with us.”

“Trying to explain to Sojiro how we lost Akira would be made even worse with trying to explain this giant monster is Akira from a different world or whatever.”

“Oh god, I hope he doesn’t follow us out. Him staring at me down here is weird enough.” Akechi grumbled, leaning back into the seat with his arms crossed.

“Oh, yeah. Did you see how upset he got though? I wonder what happened.” Haru leaned forward onto the seat in front of her.

“I’ll admit I’m a bit curious myself. Suppose we might have to ask again tomorrow.” 

The drive up to the entrance was long, having gotten so deep into Mementos to chase down their targets. Arsene was waiting for them by the stairs, just having landed as they drove up. They got out, making their way up to Arsene.

“This place is hard to fly through.” 

“Not to mention it changes every day.”

“This place changes? Sheesh, that’s terrible. How do you find anything?”

“With luck usually.”

The group walked up the stairs, Arsene following, getting visibly excited.

“I can’t wait to see what your world is really like.”

“Well…” 

Makoto was the one to take out her phone, setting the navigator to bring them back to reality. 

“Hey, what’s that box thing?”

“My phone. We all have one. We use it to contact each other and travel between here and our world.”

“Cool.”

“Everyone ready?”

Everyone nodded at her. She pressed the app, starting to walk up the stairs as everyone followed her. Arsene ran smack into a wall, stopping halfway on the stairs. He backed up and tried again, moving faster, but just hitting the same place. Everyone paused to watch him struggle with an invisible wall.

“Oh, seems like I’m stuck here.” Arsene pouted, tapping his foot.

“I mean, as long as you stay up here, you’ll be okay. We’ll come back.”

“But I really wanted to see everything. Hmph.”

“Sorry dude. Guess our world won’t let you out of here.”

Arsene jumped down the stairs, landing with a click, and then sitting down on the floor. He curled a wing around, running his fingers through the feathers.

“I’ll keep myself busy until you get back. Bye.”

He sounded annoyed. The Thieves walked the rest of the way up, returning to the real world. They all stared at each other.

“I still don’t know what to say to Sojiro. He’ll be upset.” 

Futaba sighed as she adjusted her glasses. 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind calling Akira in sick for tomorrow while we sort this whole thing out.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see.”

They said their goodbyes, heading home for the day. Akechi spent the whole way home thinking about today.


	2. Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and The Phantom Thieves learn some very interesting information about Arsene and his world.

“So we just gotta find one of those portals, right?”

The Thieves were all sitting around the attic, trying to figure out how they’re going to get Akira back and Arsene back home. Ryuji took a sip of his soda as his question went unanswered for a few moments. Akira being gone would screw up the whole operation, not to mention that they were running out of time. The day to send that calling card was coming up quickly, and they couldn’t afford to waste time not looking for him.

“I don’t think it’s going to be that simple. We have no idea how big Arsene’s world is, and in any case, I doubt that portal is just going to show up when it’s convenient.”

Makoto tapped her fingers on the desk as she talked, glancing at Futaba. She just shrugged.

“I mean, we can ask Arsene what his world is like. But we don’t know what would be waiting on the other side of that portal. It could take us somewhere entirely different, as far as we know. All we know is that it was purple, and Akira is somewhere on the other side of it.”

“Well, we can’t know until we get down into Mementos, really. And Arsene is probably getting bored just sitting there waiting for us.”

“Yeah, what are we gonna do about him? While we’re trying to get him back home I mean. Can he even help us fight the shadows?”

“Well, we can go find out when we’re in Mementos.”

“Yeah, we’re not getting any closer just sitting here.”

They gathered themselves, exiting the cafe and going into Mementos. Arsene was sitting there, stacking his loose black feathers, utterly bored.

“Hey Arsene.”

Arsene jumped, turning around. The feathers went everywhere as he stood up quickly.

“Oh, finally! You were gone forever!”

“Sorry. But we’re gonna try to find a way to get you home.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Hey, should we be worried about our friend? He is in your world, after all.”

Arsene crossed his arms as he considered the question, humming.

“Not really. It’s pretty peaceful. As long as he avoids _that_ person, he should be okay.”

Arsene flew down the stairs before any of them could ask what he meant. They followed him down, exchanging glances as they entered Mementos.

~~~~~~~~

The casino was huge. There were card and roulette tables as far as the eye could see, with shadows scattered about as patrons, a second floor above with a few people wandering upstairs, open to the bottom floor. Slot machines lined the walls, with one of the ridiculously huge ones taking up half a wall in the back corner, though it looked like it was just there for decoration rather than use. Akira could see the high ceilings covered in what seemed to be a somewhat reflective gold substance, only blurry shapes could be seen as reflections. The chandeliers had to be twice as big as the roulette tables scattered about the place, though the biggest one of them was swaying back and forth, making a clinking sound as the hanging crystal bits hit each other. He wasn’t sure why, there wasn’t any wind or anything to cause it to move like that. Captain Kidd took a few steps forward, searching the room. Arsene swung back to be next to him, landing with a woosh, half-folding his wings. Akira took a few steps into the room, hearing something like the sound of metal bouncing off a wall before something hit him in the back of the head. He winced, rubbing the spot and looking around at his feet for what it was. A coin rolled to a stop, rolling around its edge before lying flat. It was heads up, or what he assumed was heads on it. It had a strange helmet shape on it. Akira crouched down and picked it up, looking at it. There was a book on the other side of it, but no marking of how much it was worth anywhere.

“Oh, damn it, it hit something. Oh well. Tails.”

Someone muttered above them, barely audible over the noise the chandelier made. Again, the sound of metal bouncing off of stuff, but this time Akira had the good sense to duck. He glanced upwards, seeing the glint of metal sail back up towards the swinging chandelier, suddenly disappearing from view to be replaced by a flash of either a black or white something before that too, disappeared. Captain Kidd was also following the coin, realization flashing across his face.

“Yes! Two hundred to one-ninety-nine.”

“Loki!”

“Oh, hello Kidd. Was wondering who came in. And I assume the wings is Arsene.”

“What have you been up to, huh?”

“Just this, really. Ask anyone here. I haven’t left all day. Heads.”

Akira watched the coin get whipped down from above the chandelier, bouncing off several tables before hitting the right angle to go back up for that- what Akira assumed- hand to catch again.

“Aw, damn. Two hundred all.”

“Yeah, you’re a liar! What did you do to Arsene?”

“Nothing. I have been here all day. Arsene is just Arsene, Kidd.”

“Liar! You did something to him! Put him back!”

There was a very long pause, marked out by the soft chiming noises of the chandelier.

“What?”

“Oh, are you admitting it? I knew you were up to something!”

“...What nonsense are you even accusing me of?”

Akira walked up to Kidd, trying to see if he could hear what was being said better. Arsene flew up behind him, unsure what to make of this exchange. Akira tilted his head at “Loki”’s voice, confused on why it sounded familiar.

“This! Just put. Him. Back. Or I will put a hole in you.”

“Look, if he made himself sad, I had nothing to do with it.”

Something hit the top of the chandelier, making a loud smacking noise. A low growl, and the sounds of someone shifting across metal. And then:

“Arsene, you’re being awfully quiet. You usually threaten me at least three times by now.”

“ _Loki._ Fix. Him. _Now.”_

Akira took a step back, his jaw dropping as Loki finally came into view. Akechi was peering down at the three of them, utterly confused. He had bright white and black horns, and a helmet that a few strands of his chestnut hair escaped from.

“What. The _hell._ Is that?”

“What do you _mean_ what the hell is that?! That’s Arsene! Put him back!”

“I had nothing to do with that! Besides, I don’t have to take threats from you.”

Akechi pulled his face out of sight. The chandelier started tilting heavily to one side, and Akira realized he must be getting up.

“Oh? Lily-livered, all of a sudden?”

“Considering you can’t even catch me, Kidd, I would like to see you try.”

Captain Kidd snarled, rushing up the stairs to get to the second floor. Loki jumped from one chandelier to another, keeping his balance as they tilted harshly under him. He jumped to a set of windows that were setback enough for there to be a ledge. He pushed a window open before ducking outside. They watched as Captain Kidd visibly swore as Loki disappeared. Akira turned to Arsene, excited.

“That was-!”

“I know, Akira. It’s not the same person as ours, though. He has Robin Hood, remember?”

Akira dropped his excited smile, crossing his arms. Arsene was right, it was weird for Akechi's counterpart to not be Robin Hood.

“I understand, Arsene.”

“We can’t waste time here chasing him. We need to get home.”

“I know. They must be worried.”

Captain Kidd was muttering as he came back, irritated.

“Damn bastard. But everyone else says he was here the whole time, he wasn’t lying.”

Akira yawned, rubbing sleep out of his eye. Captain Kidd exhaled slowly, turning to him.

“Maybe we should find a place for you two to sleep. C’mon.”

They followed Captain Kidd without protest, Akira doing his best to keep up this time. They walked away from the casino, Akira stealing one more glance at it while Arsene wasn’t looking.

_So if I want to talk to him, I would have to check here first._

~~~~~~

“Hey, who were you talking about at the entrance?”

“Hm?”

They were several levels deep into Mementos, scattered about the safe room. Arsene was lying flat on his back, the wings spread out and slightly curled up, his eyes closed. He seemed rather relaxed despite surrounded by strangers. He cracked open an eye after Makoto asked him, slight disinterest on his face.

“The one our friend should be avoiding in your world?”

“Oh, don’t get me started on _him_. I’d rather not think about that arrogant asshole.”

His eyes flared for a moment, turning his head away and huffing. Up to this point, Arsene had been rather carefree and happy-go-lucky. They looked at each other, silently agreeing to change the subject.

“Well, will you be at least be willing to tell us what happened between me and you?” Akechi started, uncertainty in his voice.

Akechi moved closer to Arsene, sitting on the seat closest to him. Arsene regarded him for a long time before he sat up, shifting to face them. He frowned, leaning forward a bit, the wings dragging back across the floor.

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“It would help us understand you and your world a little better, at least.” Yusuke said, leaning towards him.

Arsene looked at all of them, and they simply nodded at him and motioned for him to go on.

“I’m not sure how any of you work here, but… in my world, each of us has a purpose when we are born. We don’t exist without one.”

Arsene took a deep breath, checking to make sure they were still with him as he explained.

“I was born during The War. Sometimes I feel lost since the world is so peaceful now, like I barely have any purpose left. That’s when I met all of you in turn, really, save for you Robin. I never met you until a few years into it, but, well, to be fair, we were all really busy surviving.”

“A war?” Futaba prompted.

“Yeah, we were fighting a huge army of these… weird creature things? Like greyish white but with like red webbing all over them. We never really knew what to call them, really, they were just our enemies. And they destroyed a lot of things.”

Arsene glanced up, seeing their confusion.

“Oh, haha, sorry. Am I not being clear? I may not look like it, but I’m really young compared to you- er, my friends rather. The War had started long before I came along, so Zorro or, uh, any of them would be able to tell you more about it, really.”

“Wait, you’re the youngest?”

“Haha, yeah, I am… uh…” Arsene shifted, not sure how to continue. “Uh, anyway… where…?”

_Ah, he’s definitely not the smooth talker like Joker is._

Akechi folded his hands in his lap, smiling gently at a flustered Arsene.

“The War. How you met your friends.”

“Right, um. Anyway, the first time I met Robin Hood was this one fight. You came out of nowhere, really, raining arrows down on some of those beasts, moving quickly through the fighting. I saw your face, but didn’t have time to ask you anything before you were gone again. Uh, there was a another time you saved me from getting mauled by a bigger thing, but you left after I thanked you and you welcomed me as you went. I don’t quite remember much from the battles, it’s all the same really. One time you stayed long enough for all of us to meet you, but you had to leave so soon afterwards. You said you were always busy, had places to be, and you couldn’t be in one place for very long. You… never could stay, really.”

Arsene bit his lip, pausing. Akechi shivered. He could hear the longing in Arsene’s voice, the _what ifs_ , the loneliness. It was almost unbearable to hear, because he couldn’t believe someone would actually care about him like that.

_I hope I’m just imagining all of that._

“It ended about a year later, but…”

His personas were oddly silent as they all watched Arsene straighten up, putting on a small smile.

“Well, aren’t we supposed to be looking for that way home for me? We aren’t going to find it by sitting here, right?”

Arsene stood up quickly, turning and took a step towards the stairs. He took another step, then stopped. They could see he was shaking.

“Arsene…?” Haru stood up, concerned.

“Arsene, please. What happened?”

Arsene looked over his shoulder at Akechi, the wings curling around him protectively. The rest of them stood up, taking a few steps closer to Arsene before stopping. They waited as he opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. He sighed, the wing tips dragging against the floor now.

“...You... died.”

Akechi turned pale.

“I’m… Ex… excuse me?”

“If only we had been faster, we might have… If only I had stopped you from-!”

Arsene faltered, snapping his head forward, silent. He took off suddenly, diving down the stairs. The Thieves ran off after him, knowing he would probably be lost to the twist and turns of Mementos.

~~~~~~~

Captain Kidd led them to a building that looked like it was ripped out of some cheesy sci-fi movie. Akira glanced up at it, realizing it looked a bit similar to Okumura’s palace, but now it was just a simplified two story building.

“Milady has space, I think. We’ll see.”

“What kind of place is this?”

“A lounge, of sorts. She kept it as it was.”

He ducked inside, leaving the two of them to their shared look. They followed, walking up the stairs. The first floor looked like a sort of cafe area, with seating and chairs. Upstairs was several long, cushy couches and a small bar area.

“Hello?”

Haru turned around, halfway cleaning a glass.

“Hey Milady. These two need somewhere to stay.”

She looked them over.

“Is that Arsene?”

“Long story. Which I should just get everyone together to explain all at once.”

“Mhm. You can stay here, I suppose. I’ve been told the couches are nice enough to fall asleep on.”

“Thank you, Milady.”

Akira didn’t go to one of the couches right away, wandering around the place. Arsene watched him until he turned around the corner, then stuck up a small conversation with Milady. He wandered back over just as Kidd was going downstairs, and Milady left the little bar.

“Well, good night.”

“Thank you again. We really appreciate this.”

“Oh, don't mention it.”

Milady smiled, giving a little curtsy, before she herself left. Akira decided it would be best to push two of the couches together, backs facing out, for a makeshift bed. He stood by one side while Arsene settled on the other.

“I hope too much time hasn't passed for them while we've been here.”

Arsene only hummed in acknowledgment. Akira took off his shoes first, placing them beside the couches, then taking off his coat and draping it over the back. He pushed his mask off his face, hesitating a moment before taking it all the way off, putting it in one of his coat pockets. He hopped over the back, stretching out and finally laying on his back. He tugged the coat over himself to use as a blanket, all of his exhaustion hitting him at once as his head hit cushion.

“G’night.”

He could hear Arsene rolling around a bit as he fell asleep. There was a nagging suspicion of being watched before it faded away into his dreams.

~~~~~~~

They found Arsene, just finished ripping apart a shadow with his bare hands, furious. He whipped around, snarling, ready to pounce before he recognized them. He exhaled, landing on his feet, not looking Akechi in the eye.

“You okay?”

“I'll be fine.”

They continued on, realizing Arsene wasn't in the mood to talk. Yet, they noticed how aggressively protective he got of Akechi when they got into fights. Akechi was getting annoyed with how Arsene hovered over him, but he hid it by faking nervousness, making sure to flutter his eyelashes at Arsene when the others weren't looking. This made Arsene flustered, causing him to distract himself by combing his feathers.

_Goro, don't get his hopes up._ Robin Hood scolded him.

_Why not? This is so funny. Why so flustered, Robin?_ Loki teased.

_I am not flustered! This is just cruel!_

_Will you two cut it out? I need the focus here._ Akechi cut their argument short.

The next safe room they stopped to rest, not having any luck finding that portal so far. Arsene was sitting with his back turned to them, his feathers ruffled up in anger. They quietly talked as Futaba was trying to scan for the portal again, focused. Arsene sighed deeply, flopping onto his back, staring at Akechi sadly.

“I hate remembering that stuff since you haven't come back yet.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Like, we get reborn sometimes, and I've been told that how fast kinda depends on what your purpose is. Necro told me it took me a long time, but I don't know how long it takes anyone else.”

“Wait, you guys get reborn? Do you ever remember anything from your past life?”

“Um, not sure how it works for everyone else, but I remember bits and pieces. Sometimes it's things, other times it's … places, I think? That's what it seems to be.”

Arsene sits up and moves so he's facing them as he continues.

“Like, sometimes I dream of playing a harp. Other times I'm holding a sword almost as big as I am. And the other stuff I feel a pull to, like they’re still there. A small town swallowed by fog and metal things on the outskirts. A dark tower that climbs way into the sky. But I know they don't exist anymore. The tower is just crumbling bricks, the town is nothing but shattered glass and rust-eaten metal. I feel… misplaced almost.”

Unlike Akira, Arsene seemed to be pretty open about himself. Akechi marveled at the stark difference between them. It was fascinating to say the least, and it always satisfied his curiosity. Besides, even though they aren’t quite the same, he could use this as a sort of look into Akira’s thought process, or at least a way to practice on teasing out information from him.

“Hey, we should probably keep looking, right?”

Arsene stood up, stretching. He flew over to the entrance, waiting for the rest of them to get moving and catch up.

~~~~~~~~~

Akira stared at the ceiling, groggy and trying to figure out where he was. He knew it wasn’t the attic, and he wasn’t in his own bed. He sat up, seeing Arsene lying on his stomach, wings resting on the backs of the couches he suddenly remembered pushing together last night. The sunlight was a soft pinkish color, making everything a bit hazy as he crawled over the side of the makeshift bed. He shoved his mask back on before sliding his shoes on as he heard someone coming up the stairs. He threw his coat on quickly before he turned and crouched down, hand hovering over his knife.

“Good morning!”

Akira relaxed and stood up as he heard Milady’s voice. She stopped at the top of the stairs, giggling at the sight of the two of them. Arsene stirred, pushing himself up.

“Oh, goodness. I don’t think anyone has thought to push the couches together like that to sleep.”

“Oh, aha, yeah. I can put it back the way it was if you’d like.”

“Well, everyone is coming over soonish, so those couches will just be pulled back to facing each other again.”

“I can do that.”

Milady grinned as she passed by them to the little bar area. Akira waited until Arsene got off the couches before pulling them apart. Akira walked over to the bar area as Milady cleaned and rearranged some of the glasses on the shelves.

“Anything else you’d like help with?”

“No thank you, you’re very kind to offer, though.”

Akira settled down on one of the couches, legs under him, watching both Arsene stretch himself out and Milady organize the shelves. Captain Kidd showed up a few moments later, with Zorro and Johanna in tow. Carmen was loudly talking with Goemon, exchanging their opinions about performance art as they came upstairs.

“Necronomicon is going to be late.” Johanna said. “Said she has been reorganizing since last night and is almost done.”

Johanna narrowed her eyes at Akira and Arsene, the former putting his legs on the floor properly and sitting up straight, the latter moving to Akira’s right and leaning on the back of the couch, staring right back at her. Milady swept out of the bar, taking a seat near Akira, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Ah, so these are our mystery guests?” Goemon sounded amused as he sat down across from the two of them.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Necronomicon showed up. She hovered nearby Johanna, expressionless.

“Hi. I’m Joker, and this is Arsene.” Akira said once everyone sat down, waving a little.

“So, what happened to our Arsene?” Johanna leans forward, frowning.

“He’s in our world. With our friends, so he’ll be okay. He’s not alone at least. The eight of them know their way around.”

“Eight?” Carmen tilted her head.

“Um, Robin Hood?”

He got back blank stares as Johanna leaned into Zorro and started whispering.

“In any case, he is safe with my friends. He shouldn't have a problem as long as he stays with them.”

“Uh-huh. Okay.”

More silence. Akira suddenly got antsy.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Akira got up and rushed downstairs to the cafe area. He went behind the counter, trying to find something to occupy his hands as his thoughts spiraled out of his control. He found a coffee brewer that was pretty similar to the one at Leblanc, and started searching for coffee beans.

_What the hell is going on? Where's Robin Hood? Why did they stare at me like that? Where are the rest of my personas anyway? Hello? You guys there?_

He tried to focus on calling any of them to surface, but he felt nothing. For the first time since Kamoshida's Castle, he feels no one else. The emptiness was throwing him for a loop, since he tended to rely on them being there when he needs them. Akira admittedly also got use to the background noise of the other personas in his head. He caught movement in the corner of his eye, glancing up to see Milady coming downstairs. She sat down at the counter, watching him work.

“Coffee?”

“Yeah. I'm sorry, I really should've asked, but…”

He poured out a cup, lifting it up to test it. Milady stopped his hand for a moment.

“May I?”

Akira handed her the cup before grabbing more cups to pour the rest of the coffee in. She took a sip, considering its taste for some time.

“Oh, you're pretty good at this.”

“Thank you.”

“I wish Arsene was half as good, it might help keep him from getting himself into trouble.”

Akira kept working, making another eight cups and started looking around for a tray. The jitters slowly worked out into the rhythm of cafe work, long since ingrained into him by Sojiro.

“Hey, about Robin Hood?”

“Oh, I'm not the one to ask, I'm afraid. I've never met him.”

“...huh?”

“I know the names of every person that's come into this place. I know their faces, I know their preferences and where and how they like to sit. I would've remembered if I ever met Arsene's Robin Hood.”

“Arsene's Robin Hood?”

“Oh, right. He… I wish there was something I could do for him, but memories are funny things. He always gets so sad when he talks about Robin Hood, and I feel dreadful when I can't comfort him.”

“So, who would know about him?”

“Hmm, tough question. I would like to say Zorro, since he's the oldest. I've met the Pallbearer maybe once, but Zorro would most likely know. Or Johanna, she's pretty good at the past life stuff.”

“The… the Pallbearer?”

“Oh, do you not have one in your world? The Pallbearer takes care of the dead here. My father used to call him the Ferryman, but no one really calls him that anymore. Though, it's been a long time since someone has died. No one has seen him for quite a while. He's probably glad for the break though, considering.”

Milady stands up, disappearing into the room behind the counter as she talks. Akira watches as she brings out a tray with sugar and creamer, placing it on the counter. She helps him load the tray with the cups, putting a stirrer in hers so she remembers.

“Is his name Robin Hood?”

She shook her head.

“I would've remembered if it was. Besides, even if I knew his name, I can't speak it.”

“Why not?”

“It's like inviting death into your home before your time, is it not?”

Akira lifts the tray carefully, puzzling this new information over. He lets Milady lead the way back upstairs to the group. He waits as Milady pulls a coffee table into the middle before he sets down the tray. He sat down as some of them pick cups, fighting over who would use the creamer first. Milady grabbed hers, sitting back down next to him.

“Anyways, we came through a portal, and if we can find it again we could go home.”

Akira fidgeted, picking a cup and offering it to Arsene. He shook his head, watching as Akira put it down to put some sugar in it for himself.

“I can try and scan for it. No promises on finding it right away.” Necronomicon murmured.

“As long as we can find it soon. I don't know how time passes between here and my world.”

Akira fell silent as they chattered, just listening to the small talk for a while. He was deep in thought, wondering about this world, how it came to be. He watched as they eventually filtered out, cups emptied and replaced on the tray. He picked it up, moving back downstairs before Milady could protest, and started washing the cups. She quietly grabbed a broom after a few minutes, going to sweep the floor upstairs. Akira put the cups where he found them before coming out.

“Do you need any more help?”

“Oh, no, thank you. You’ve already done so much for me. Customers should be arriving for the lounge soon anyway.”

“Is it okay if we continue to stay here while we look for that portal?”

“I don't mind.”

“Okay, thank you. I'm gonna go for a walk.”

“Have fun.”

Akira could hear that Arsene caught up with him as he got halfway down the street. He needed to familiarize himself with the place, or he would get lost when he really couldn't afford too. Though, he still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, paranoia making him clutch his knife close to him as they wandered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akechi can be a downright bastard, sometimes.


	3. Selfishness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira hunts down Zorro to ask him a question. The Thieves are getting frustrated looking for that portal. Akechi pries some more information out of Arsene.

Now he was cornered. Akira took a wrong turn somewhere, trying to shake that feeling of being followed, running around a corner but just succeeded in finding a dead end. The presence felt closer than before.

_ Don't panic. Don't look panicked. _

He turned around slowly as Arsene tensed up next to him. He tightened his hand around his knife, his only other protection. He just couldn’t show how nervous he felt.

“Come out! I know you're there!”

A pause. Then he heard laughter. 

“Oh? And what will you do about it?”

Akira paused. He hadn't thought they would answer. He heard something hitting the ground, and the sound of - hooves? - coming towards them. Akechi- or rather, Loki, Akira corrected himself- stopped some ten feet away from them, arms crossed. The amused smile on his face faded as Arsene stepped in front of Akira, blocking him with a wing. Akira ducked under it to watch Loki tilt his head, guarded. He was really tall, Akira belatedly realized now that he was close enough to get a good look. He was also hard to look at, the outfit a disorienting scheme of black and white diagonals, long orange and black braids, his legs ending in pale gold hooves. It was quiet as he looked them over, drumming his fingers along his arm as he stood. Arsene glared at him, waiting. As Loki took a step closer, Arsene responding by shifting and pushing Akira back to be more behind him. Loki blinked, stared back for a moment, and took another step closer to them.

“Take another step and you'll regret it.” Arsene snarled.

Loki chuckled, straightening up, flashing empty hands. He started bouncing one of his legs as they entered another stare off. He was almost inviting himself to be attacked. Nonthreatening. Akira stood up, walking towards Arsene's wing.

“Don't.” Arsene hissed at him.

“Arsene, move.”

“Don't you dare.”

“ _ Arsene. _ ” 

Arsene reluctantly moved enough to let Akira duck past his wing, closing part of the difference. Though now, all his bravado faltered, staring into the face of his crush. Loki tilted his head again, maintaining eye contact with him. He was starting to feel sleepy all of a sudden. Akira clicked his tongue once before he found the words.

“You were following us.”

“I was. Forgive me for being so curious, but I knew Kidd wouldn't let me get near you. Your friend doesn't seem too fond of me, either.”

“...You know I'm not Arsene?”

“Obviously. I know Arsene well.”

Akira blinked slowly. Loki was very strange, talking like this. He seemed very open compared to Akechi. Arsene crept forward, putting a hand on his shoulder, ready to pull him back. Loki shrugged, rocking back and forth on his feet. He turned, stalking back out of the alley without another word. Akira shook off the sleepiness and moved to follow him.

“Wait u-"

He was yanked backwards, Arsene's claws now digging into his shoulder.

“ _ Akira _ . Do. Not. Follow him. We don't have time for this.”

Akira glared at him as Arsene scolded him. He shrugged out of the hold, running forward. Loki was nowhere in sight. He swore under his breath. He turned around to yell at Arsene, but Arsene cut him off, shoving him up against the wall. Akira winced.

“Akira. He is  _ not _ Akechi. We don't know what he's planning. We don't know where Robin Hood is, or why he looks like that. Please, Akira, just stop obsessing over Akechi for just a moment.”

“I'm not…”

Akira couldn't find a good excuse though. He couldn't really lie to his heart without him calling bullshit. He swallowed his pride.

“Sorry. I'm just tired.”

“Then rest. Come.”

Arsene dragged him back to the lounge, sitting him down on an empty couch while they waited for the patrons to leave. Akira yawned, leaning onto Arsene the longer they sat there, having trouble keeping his eyes open. Arsene didn't move, letting him sink into his shoulder as the night went on.

_ Why do I love someone who’s just going to kill me? _

~~~~~~~

“We're getting nowhere!” Futaba yelled, smacking the palm of her hand onto the empty seat beside her.

They were all tired and frustrated. They made it all the way down to the door to the next area, but they couldn't get through it. Arsene was very confused that hitting it did not make it budge, so they had to all explain how the Metaverse worked, and then had to explain to him what cognition was. That was a good hour and a half conversation, even without the constant questioning and interruptions from Arsene. But now that they’ve moved back up to the closest safe room, everyone couldn’t hide how much they hated this wild goose chase right now. They had not seen anything out of the ordinary at all. Just the usual Mementos weirdness. Arsene was nervous, picking at his feathers as they all sat there.

“How do you stand this place?” He grumbled, asking for the eighteenth time today.

“...Are you claustrophobic?”

Arsene nodded and quickly looked down at his feet. Makoto sighed, getting up, choosing to support herself with the doorframe. 

“Let's try again tomorrow. At least it's a Sunday and we won't have to worry about him missing class.”

“Ugh. This is starting to feel pointless. Can't it just appear already?”

Ann was half asleep herself, slouching downwards. Akechi shifted, looking like he was almost about to join Ryuji laying on the floor.

“Hey man, Crow, you've been awfully quiet.”

“Just thinking. Even if we found the right portal, would I be able to go through it? Considering, you know...”

“Uuuuhhh. Huh. Arsene?”

“I don't know. Maybe?”

Akechi sighs, forcing himself to sit upright. 

“Let's just go. We need sleep, among other things.”

None of the Thieves went to move for a solid five minutes. Arsene fluttered over to the up staircase, watching them, looking like he was barely hiding his impatience. Finally, Ann pushed herself up, which got the rest of them going. It was a long drive back up, avoiding as many shadows as they could. Arsene watched them ascend the stairs, sitting down with a sigh. 

~~~~~~~~

Akira woke up, seeing that he just fell asleep on Arsene's shoulder. He sat up, making sure Arsene was still asleep as he got off the couch. Creeping downstairs, he found Milady in the cafe, setting up for the day.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. Opening soon?”

“Yup. Where's your friend?”

“Oh, he's still asleep. Hey, where can I find Zorro usually?”

“Hmm. Usually he's here for coffee early, but I think he's helping Johanna with the archives today.”

“Oh, and where's that?”

Milady gave him directions to the library, and told him to ask one of the other librarians for Zorro.

“Okay, thanks. Please let Arsene know I'm there if I'm still gone when he wakes up.”

“I will. Good luck.”

Akira found the place rather easily. A lamia was manning the information desk, looking bored. She narrows her eyes as he approached, straightening up and plastering on a fake smile.

“Hi. I'm looking for Zorro.”

“Wait here, please.”

Akira watched her slither off. He started going through the books in the return pile while he waited, curious. The lamia returns with Zorro in tow.

“Oh, Joker. What's up?”

“I wanted to ask you about yesterday.”

Zorro narrowed his eyes at him. He whispered something to the lamia, who shrugged and gestured.

“Come with me. Johanna is down here too.”

Akira followed him through the library and down the stairs, marveling at the multitudes of full bookcases as they passed. The stairs creaked under their weight as Zorro ducked under a beam.

“Watch your head.”

Akira ducked under it as well, seeing Johanna standing with her back turned to them. He noted how like Makoto she was, dutifully shelving the books. She glances over, seeing the two of them, and placing the books on a little cart.

“Oh, you again? Just be careful not to touch the books. They’re fragile.”

Akira nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. He stayed near the entrance as Zorro moved to another bookcase.

“I just wanted to ask you about Robin Hood. You two were whispering about it yesterday.”

Johanna squinted at him before turning to Zorro. Zorro rolled his eyes, sighing.

“What is there to talk about? He doesn't exist.” He started, ears flattening down.

“What?”

“My theory is that he was part of a past life, that Arsene remembers vividly for whatever reason. I hope you're also not obsessed with this Robin Hood, too?”

“That doesn't make any sense. He exists in my world.”

Johanna raises an eyebrow, looking over to Zorro.

“Well, guess we won't expect Arsene to ever come back now.”

“I’m sure he misses all of you more.”

“I doubt that, with how much he talks about him.” Zorro mutters, picking through the books and inspecting them.

“Okay,  _ thanks _ . I’ll see myself out.”

Akira storms out of the archives, ignoring their scolding. He found that he was already halfway to the casino by the time he calmed himself down enough to figure out where he was.

_ Ah, now would be a good time to talk to him since Arsene isn’t babying me. _

Akira stepped inside the casino, looking up at the chandeliers. They were still. He turned and walked out, not even bothering to ask anyone, already knowing Loki wasn’t there. He went back to the dead end again, hoping Loki would follow him there. He counted to ten before turning around. No luck. 

“C’mon, where the hell are you?”

Akira stalked the streets, keeping an ear out for both Arsene’s wings and Loki’s hooves. He walked for so long until he found a park bench, sitting down with a sigh. He could feel the mental link between him and Arsene if he concentrated. He knew the general direction, and it seemed Arsene had not even left the area where the lounge was. Akira has felt so exhausted here. Even a serious request-filling Mementos trip couldn’t compare to just being here in this world. He wasn’t sure why, since he was sleeping a good amount, even without Morgana’s constant nagging to sleep. The couches were even more comfortable than his own bed. Though that could be because his bed was a mattress on four milk crates in an unheated and unairconditioned attic of a cafe. Then again, he was always someone who could just sleep anywhere as long as he went unbothered. He rested his eyes for just a minute, trying to clear his head.

~~~~~~~~

“Arsene.”

Akechi saw Arsene light up when he saw him. He stepped downstairs, watching as Arsene scrambled to his feet.

“Back already, Robin? Where’s everyone else?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you privately.”

Akechi put on that sweet voice of his, putting emphasis on the last word. He watched Arsene smooth his clothes, flustered. 

_ Oh, he’s already smitten. This will be easy. _

“I thought it would be easier without everyone else talking over each other.”

“Oh, yeah, aha, of course.” 

Arsene looked away from him quickly. Akechi walked over to one of the benches, sitting down. Arsene edged closer to him, clearly interested, but also cautious of crossing boundaries.

“Well, I suppose you would know best of what I was like when I was alive?”

“Of course.”

Arsene got closer, sitting down on the floor across from him. Akechi could see how badly he wanted to be close to him. He needed to keep his distance for right now though. Keep playing this act a little longer.

“I mean, you were very private, for the most part. Maybe because of where you lived, but you were friendly. I wish we had more time, but with the War it was hard. You were sweet, caring. I followed you home the day we finally met, because you had a lot of injuries that weren't being taken care of. I was worried you would bleed out, but I got to you in time. You said you didn't want to bother anyone.”

He chuckled at the memory, shaking his head. Akechi picked up on his sadness as Arsene paused to sift through memories.

“And after that, I showed up quite a few times. You were really surprised that I would visit you after that. You seemed really lonely out there, living all by yourself. But you took your purpose seriously, which is why you never stayed. Time wasn't a luxury for any of us, but it seemed you never had any. You had a very soothing voice, and I miss it. I miss you.”

Arsene had turned and scooted even closer, his back almost touching Akechi's legs. Pushing aside his pride, he ruffled Arsene's hair gently. Arsene looked up, stunned, before relaxing, leaning against him. Akechi continued running fingers through his hair, cautious to avoid his horns.

“What was my purpose?”

“Oh, that's easy, it was…”

Arsene trailed off, frowning. He muttered to himself, going through a list.

“I know you've told me. I know you have. I can't remember it right now.”

“Oh. Well, I'm sure it's not that important.”

“No, no it was. You told me that once. That it wouldn't take long to come back. But…”

Arsene was puzzled. Akechi paused in his affectionate gesture, waiting. 

“Oh, how can I  _ not _ remember? What's  _ wrong _ with me? Sorry, guess it's been longer than I thought.”

“Don't worry about it. I'm sure it will come to you eventually.”

It was quiet for a while, Arsene fidgeting against him. He got up suddenly, swearing under his breath.

“I was told that there was supposed to be a sacrifice before the War would end. I… It was supposed to be me. I was prepared, but you… Why? Why was it you?”

“I can't answer that.”

“I know.”

“I'm sorry.”

Arsene sighed, staring at him longingly. Akechi stood up, making his way over to him, careful not to bump into his wings.

“Oh, I don't mind if you do.”

“Hm? Do what?” 

Arsene unfurled a wing, almost as if inviting him. He could see the soft blush Arsene was trying to hide behind a hand, but it just stood out more.

“Touch my wings. I liked when you did it.”

Akechi stared, not sure what to say. He decided he should keep playing along. He gently pressed inwards, moving along the edge of the outstretched wing. 

“Oh, it’s very soft. Tell me if I hurt you though.”

“I trust that you won't.”

_ Oh, you trusted wrong.  _ Robin Hood suddenly hissed.

Loki snickered as Akechi decided to ignore him. He pinched where his joint was experimentally, catching Arsene turning bright red.

“Robin!”

“Sorry!”

Akechi pulled the hand away, faking concern. A pause. He flinched as Arsene moved closer. He felt Arsene press up against him, putting his hand back where it was, and Akechi had to fight the urge to shove him away. Arsene looked embarrassed before Akechi rubbed the joint again, blushing more. He sat down, letting Akechi feel up his wing. Akechi stopped after a few minutes and sat down in his lap, putting their faces close together. Arsene cupped his face, his eyes lit with wonder, closing the distance between them. Akechi turned at the last second, feeling the kiss to his cheek. He heard Arsene making a confused noise in his throat.

“Oh, that would be cruel,  _ wouldn't _ it?” 

Arsene's eyebrows knitted together as Akechi pressed a hand to his chest. He feigned sadness, sighing for good measure.

“Kissing you, knowing I'm not alive anymore in your world. Wouldn't that be awful for you?”

“I…”

Arsene bit his lip, his hand falling to his lap. Akechi dragged fingertips along his wing, seeing Arsene flush and sigh.

“I understand, but...” 

“I just don't want to break your heart like that.”

“Oh, it's fine. It's already broken.”

They sat in silence for a while. Arsene shifted, making sure Akechi was still comfortable. Truthfully, he was throwing up inside over showing any sort of physical affection to anyone, much less the show he was putting on right now. Arsene really wanted to kiss him, and he looked to just be barely restraining himself from doing so.

“I just wish he hadn't replaced you.”

“Who?”

“ _ Loki. _ ” He growled.

Akechi jumped. He could feel Loki suddenly perk up at the mention of his name.

“Oh, sorry. I just hate him. He's so… arrogant. Annoying. It's like he purposefully seeks me out to irritate me. He thinks he knows everything.”

Arsene rolled his eyes. Akechi pressed his face against his neck, hiding his panic. He forced himself to relax before pulling away again.

“What do you mean replace?”

“He… he claimed to be you. I know that's not true. You're not like him at all.”

Akechi shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. Arsene noticed, looking at the ground.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.”

“It's alright. Hey, I have to go. I'm sorry.”

“Oh. Uh…”

He dropped his hands as Akechi moved to get up. 

“Sorry to leave you here, but I do need the rest. And I can't get it in here.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

Arsene gently smiled at him before he walked upstairs and into the real world again. Once he got back to his apartment, he took a long shower.

_ At least we know you can go through that portal. _ Loki murmured.

Akechi mumbled an agreement, trying not to think about it. Robin Hood was silent, but he was definitely seething. He ignored both him and Loki, and Akechi sighed.

_ It's nothing personal, Robin Hood. You've been around long enough to know that. _

No answer.

_ Oh, how ironically childish of you. _

It didn’t matter if Robin Hood refused to talk to him for the rest of his life. He had a way to get information out of Arsene, and he knew it worked well.

~~~~~~~~

Akira stirred. 

_ Did I fall asleep on that bench? _

He opened his eyes, staring into Loki’s face. He jumped, noticing something was missing under his head. He tilted his head up, seeing he was partially hanging over the edge of a building several stories high. He squeaked and started squirming, but the weight pressed into his hips kept him from moving too much. He hated heights.

“Please don’t let go of me.”

Loki just pressed him into the rooftop with more of his weight, not saying anything. Akira took a few deep breaths, trying to force himself to relax and focus on something else. Unfortunately, the only thing in front of him was Loki, and he didn’t want to piss him off in case he decided to push him off the roof. One of his eyes was staring at him questioningly, the other closed. He felt heat rise to his cheeks when he noticed how beautiful his eye color, a deep garnet with a ring of gold around his pupil, was, and just how beautiful the rest of him was. 

“You look a lot like one of my friends.” Akira started, not being able to take the silent staring contest any longer.

Loki tilted his head, and he was aware he started rambling.

“Like, you’re a lot bigger, but his persona is Robin Hood, but he doesn’t have hooves, he has feet, and you have horns… Uh, do those get stuck on things?”

Loki snorted. Akira shifted, on edge now.

“You certainly are a curious one.” He snickered.

He brushed the back of one of his claws along Akira’s cheek, making Akira freeze up.

“Oh, relax, I’m not going to eat you.” Loki shifted his weight more, grinning. “Besides, I’ve already eaten today.”

Akira starts panicking for a few moments before Loki laughs at his expression. Akira squeaks as Loki suddenly is right in his face, studying him intensely. 

“You sure do look a lot like Arsene, though, but goodness, you’re so small.”

Loki lets out a hum and sits up, freeing him. Akira sits up immediately, starting to stand up. He feels a hand press down on his thigh.

“What, got a hot date or something?”

“Uh, well…” Akira blushes.

Loki smirks, leaning close, his lips almost touching his own.

“Uh, um…. Uh.”

Akira, flustered, decides to lean forward just as Loki pulls away, frowning.

“You must be really smitten with him, then.”

Akira notes the sadness in his voice as he fully retreats, folding his knees into his chest. He watches as Loki starts rubbing little circles into one of his thighs, not looking at him at all. Just staring into the distance.

“Yeah.” 

Akira moves to try and comfort him physically, but stops. He knows how Akechi reacts to physical touch with no warning. He stops himself, not wanting to find how he felt about physical touch out the hard way.

“I’m Joker, by the way.”

“Sounds fake, but sure. I’m sure you already know I’m Loki.”

“Mhm.”

They stare at each other for a moment. Akira has so many questions to ask, but doesn’t know where he wanted to start. Besides, the fact that he looked like the person of his desires was not making it easy.

“Can… Can I touch one?” He asks dumbly.

Loki moves back over to him, hovering over him for a moment before leaning down and presenting one of his horns to him. Akira shakily presses a hand to it, running it up and down. It was so smooth, yet small ridges could be felt under his fingertips, evenly spaced out. Loki pushes him over onto his back, practically collapsing on top of him, chin on Akira’s chest, purring softly as he continued to rub his horn. Akira stops, his ears burning, pulling the hand away. Loki opened his eyes, puzzled. Looking into his eyes made him a bit dizzy, so he squeezed them shut and turned his head away.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I… just am.”

It was quiet for a few moments. Akira felt guilty of wanting to kiss him, of wanting to hold him, of wanting to pursue him as if he was Akechi.

_ It’s not him, it’s not him. Don’t do this to yourself. They need you. _

“I can’t want this.”

Loki pushes himself up, quiet understanding in his expression. He moves backwards, standing up and walking away from him. Akira immediately regretted the loss of warmth. He sat up, watching Loki sit against a wall of a stairwell, rolling a gold coin around his knuckles. He was staring off into the distance.

“Have you told him yet?”

“I… I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?”

Akira didn’t know what came over him, but he told him everything. Loki said nothing, nodding along and quietly listening to him. He didn’t turn to face him fully, and maybe that was why Akira was spilling all of this information since he was partially hidden from view.

“...He’s going to kill me. But we need to trick him into thinking he’s killed me. It’s for the good of my friends, for their safety. It’s not about what I want. It was never about me.”

“I don’t see why you’re punishing yourself over wanting something for yourself.”

“I… huh?”

“Look, speaking from experience, you really shouldn’t ignore your own desires all the time. You need time for yourself every now and again. You’re pushing yourself too hard. Even the most selfless person in the world would break if they never do anything for themselves.”

“Your… I hope you’re not lying to me.”

At that, Loki chuckled.

“I can’t. I am incapable of lying.”

Akira stared at him. He shrugged.

“Wasn’t my decision, really. I blame my past life for that brilliant idea. Not like I have any need to lie.”

“Ha. You really are his opposite, then.”

“That remains to be seen, my dear Joker.”

He flashes him a toothy smile before looking at the horizon again. Akira got up and moved closer to him.

“Loki?”

“Hm?”

“You really think I should take what I want?”

“Within reason, every now and again. It’s healthy, I promise.”

“Then may I kiss you?”

“But what about him?”

“He hates my guts. I don’t think me telling him about my crush on him is going to change him at all.”

“Ah. Then we are alike in that way.”

Akira was confused. He shook his head, leaning on the wall, staring down at Loki. Loki didn’t explain himself though, so Akira just continued.

“So… may I?”

Loki stares up at him.

“Is that what you want? Because I look like him?”

“...Yeah.” He admitted, suddenly guilty again. “Oh, that would just be using you. Forget I asked.”

“Oh, I don’t care about that sort of thing. I won’t even mind if you replace me with him in your head, if that puts you at ease.”

“That… that wouldn’t be fair to you…”

“Oh, don’t get so caught up in that stuff. You want him, you’re not going to get him otherwise, correct?”

“I…” Akira had to process that before he sighed. “No. I won’t. But-”

“Trust me, I will not be offended. You seem like you need something or you will go crazy.”

Akira pushed his mask up out of his face, noting how warm it started feeling on his face. 

“Okay, yeah. I do. I can’t stand how much I want a man who wants me dead.”

Akira straddled him, cupping his face, moving close. Loki put a finger on his lips for a moment, stopping him. Akira pull away slightly, confused.

“However, I want you to understand, that if you do this, you  _ will _ regret it when you go back. So do not blame me if you do.”

Akira considered it, rubbing his thumb over Loki’s cheek. He felt two claws gently lift his chin up, his breath catching in his throat.

“I already regret so much. What’s one more?” He muttered. 

Akira pressed their lips together. Loki deepened it, pulling him against his chest, sliding a hand onto his lower back. Akira gasped for breath as Loki broke away. He tasted faintly of ash and earth, but it was still pleasant. He wanted more. 

“Akechi...” He murmured slowly, under his breath. 

Akira kissed him again. He could pretend for just a little longer. Loki shifted under him, the hand on his chin moving down to his thigh. It stopped there, Loki not moving as Akira threw his arms around his neck. Akira broke the kiss this time, panting slightly. Guilt was making this hard to keep going, threatening to make him burst into tears over this.

“I… I’m just using him as a fantasy now. And you. That's awful. I’m awful.”

“That makes you a good person if you’re second-guessing this. Even good people have less than perfect desires.” Loki soothed, ruffling his hair. “It’s alright, you’re still good. I promise.”

Akira leaned into the touch, closing his eyes again. He believed him, full-heartedly. Arsene must’ve been looking for him, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He pressed his cheek into Loki’s chest, suddenly exhausted again. 

“I wish you would keep both your eyes open. They’re so beautiful.”

“Ah, sorry, but I can’t.”

“Hm?”

“I seem to have a mild form of hypnotism that I can’t really turn off. It only works if both my eyes are open. I have no intention of using it on you.”

“This was my choice, after all. Trying to find you. You… you’re so warm.”

Akira yawned, settling down into his lap. He should be going back to the lounge right now. 

_ But I want this so badly. _

“If you’re tired, then rest.”

“Arsene is probably looking for me. I really should get back.”

He made no effort to get up. Loki let go of him, and Akira found himself whining about the sudden lack of touch. Loki paused for a moment before replacing his hands around his waist.

“You really don’t sound like you want to.”

“I want this to last a little longer.”

He felt Loki rock back and forth a little, sliding down the wall more as he got more comfortable. His heartbeat was slow as Akira held onto him tighter. His throat felt so dry as he tried to will himself to melt into Loki, desperate to make this last.

“Please…” He managed to choke out.

_ Just a little longer. Let me be selfish for just a little longer. _

He heard Loki hum a gentle lullaby as Akira slowly stopped resisting the urge to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira is a bit of a teenage mess while Akechi is a goddamned nightmare.


	4. Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thieves manage to find the portal, going through it, determined to find Akira and bring him back home.

The Thieves finally found the portal after hours of searching, deep within Mementos. They all looked at each other before they went through it, not knowing how long it was going to stay open. The other side was an open field of gray dirt, a river in front of them, with the sun crawling its way up through the sky, the sky purples and pinks.

“Oh.”

They all turned to see Robin Hood, standing next to Akechi, both confused. Robin Hood patted himself down. He turned to see everyone else staring at him in sudden realization.

“So that’s what happens.”

Arsene shrugged when they turned to question him about it.

“I was just in the dark about this as all of you were.”

“Is that the place in the distance?”

“Yeah, that’s home.”

“Hey, uh… anyone else feel a pull?”

Everyone concentrated for a moment, feeling that their personas were no longer within them but elsewhere towards the clump of buildings. Akechi felt Robin Hood right next to him, but a second pull towards the horizon. He glanced up at Robin, sharing a knowing look. Arsene launched himself up into the sky as they started to walk towards the city, doing cartwheels and flips midair, happy that he could finally stretch out his wings.

“We should stick together, at least. We have no idea how big this place is.” Makoto said, leading the way.

“Presumably he would still be in the city, since it seems to be the only source of civilization.” Akechi murmured.

“Yeah, but he could be anywhere. But if Arsene can at least follow the pull of Akira, we might have a chance.”

They continued to talk as they made their way, trying to keep up with Arsene while following him. Robin Hood stayed silent, just listening in to the conversation, refusing to look at Akechi. Akechi glared daggers at him when the rest weren’t looking, Robin Hood rolling his eyes at him. They trudged on for hours, watching Arsene having to constantly circle around above them so they didn’t lose him. They stopped to take a break as the sun started going down. They waved down Arsene, who slowly spiraled down to the ground.

“What’s up?”

“We’re taking a little break right now.” Makoto said as they all sat down. “It’s a long way for us on foot.”

“I see that.”

Arsene was restless waiting for them. He would brush a wing innocently against Robin Hood whenever he got the chance, but only succeeding in making Robin Hood withdraw into himself more. Akechi said nothing about how Arsene was acting, just praying that he wouldn’t try to initiate anything with him in front of everyone.

“Hey, can you sense our friend?”

“Huh?”

“Well, we all have a connection to your friends here. So it would make sense for you two to be connected.”

Arsene paused, scrunching his nose in concentration.

“Oh, yes. Your friend is in the city right now.”

“Okay, so we need to figure out where, though.”

“We won’t be able to until we actually get there.”

They all sat around for another ten minutes before they continued, unspoken worry in between all of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Akira stirred, feeling something move under him. He opened his eyes to see a confusing pattern of black and white, slowly trailing up to see Loki, eyes closed, tossing up a coin in one hand, slightly rocking back and forth. Akira realized he was being cradled against his chest with his other arm, yelping and falling flat on his back right onto the rooftop, wincing at the impact. Loki jumped, eyes flying open as he dropped the coin, deeply concerned. Akira was aware of how much he was blushing, covering his mouth and looking away. It was quiet as they heard the coin roll around before it came to a stop.

“Are you okay? Bad dream?”

His concern was intense and genuine, and Akira wasn’t able to handle it right at the moment. He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

“How long was I asleep?”

“All night?”

“Oh my god, Arsene is going to kill me.”

He took a deep breath and concentrated on the mental link. It felt different this time, being somewhere out towards the endless grey hills. He stood up and looked towards its direction, confused.

“How did he get all the way out there?”

Loki sighed behind him. Akira turned right while he started standing up, searching for the coin he dropped.

“Loki?”

“Mm?”

“I… I’m sorry about last night.” He rubbed his arm, looking down.

“Oh, don’t be.”

“But I used you! How are you so calm about this?”

Loki clicked his tongue.

“And? You were happy, weren’t you?”

“But you said that… augh, what is with you?”

“I’m me? I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

Akira watched him find the coin, starting to play with it again. He pulled his mask back down onto his face to distract himself.

“How do I get down from here?”

Loki turned towards him, closing one of his eyes again.

“I can bring you to the casino?”

“Oh, sure.”

Loki started towards him, holding out a hand, but Akira took a step back, unsure.

“Hey, um, before you do,” Akira licked his lips nervously, still tasting last night’s kiss. “Can you tell me a little more about this world?”

“Oh? What about?”

“Just in general. But it’s more like I guess I’m having trouble figuring out why Robin Hood doesn’t exist here when he exists in my world.”

“Who told you he doesn’t exist?”

“Johanna and Zorro. Johanna thinks he’s part of Arsene’s past life.”

Loki stared at him, lost in thought.

“And I know you’ve mentioned having a past life.”

“I’ve had many. We all have. Not all of us remember the same things though.”

Akira tapped his foot. This was starting to annoy him.

“This world is a little much to process right now.”

“As I’m sure yours was to Arsene.”

Akira walked around the perimeter of the roof, looking out at the cityscape. He stopped, a strip of greenish blue catching his eye.

“Is that the ocean over there?”

“Well, of a sort. It’s not really worth visiting though.”

“Is there anything else that way? There’s a gap in buildings.”

“Doesn’t your own world have graveyards and oceans?”

Akira closed his eyes to concentrate, snapping them open at the new feeling of him being near the clouds.

“Geez, Arsene is really high in the sky.”

“Ah, that’s this world’s Arsene then.”

“Then, that means my friends are-”

Akira whipped around to face Loki, stopping mid-sentence, hoping he would understand his unspoken question.

“I can place you onto the ground.”

“Thank you.”

Loki moved towards him, scooping him up mid-stride as he headed towards the edge of the roof. Akira squeaked, blushing again as he was gently held. Loki jumped off, landing with a solid thud onto the pavement. He placed Akira on his feet before he started going back up to the rooftop. Akira watched him run up the wall of a nearby building and kick himself off to grab the other ledge, pulling himself up. Loki glanced down at him, giving him a wave before he disappeared from sight. Akira walked out of the alley, considering heading towards the casino, but stopped at the corner.

_Now would be a time to check out that ocean while I’m waiting. It didn’t seem too far away from here._

Akira headed towards the ocean, remembering which direction he saw it in. He knew that when he had it in his sight he’d be able to get there easier.

~~~~~~~~~

The sun was starting to sink down towards the horizon, long shadows thrown by the solitary building that Arsene led them to, ducking inside. The little town surrounding it seemed to be abandoned, nothing stirring as they moved through it. They glanced up at the hundreds of flights of stairs, looking at each other.

“Well, this would be the only way for all of you to get up to the city.”

Arsene flashed them an apologetic smile.

“Not like we have a choice if we wanna go find him.” Ryuji muttered.

“Yeah, so let’s keep going.”

Everyone started climbing the stairs, going back into a conversation of what to do once they found Akira. Meanwhile, Arsene would fly up a few flights, wait for them, and then keep going.

“We’ve gotta find him and then we gotta find another one of those portals again? Ugh.”

“Well, at least it’s mostly open and will be easier to spot this time around.”

“Yeah, wandering around Mementos is frustrating.”

“Plus, we’ll have help from Arsene! Our eyes from above!”

“Yes, but let’s focus on finding Akira first.”

By the time everyone got over the last step, they were out of breath. Arsene patiently waited on the ground for them, giving them all another apologetic smile.

“Whoa, this place is pretty.” Ann glanced around them.

“You really think so?”

“Arsene, our friend.” Makoto reminded him.

“Oh! Right, uh.”

He turned his back to them, concentrating. He made a confused noise, cocking his head to the side.

“That’s weird.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s cutting in and out.”

“The connection?”

“Mhm.”

Arsene looked at them for a moment before flying into the air. He hovered above most of the buildings, doing a quick scan. He came back down, his wings causing a breeze.

“I don’t see anything unusual from a quick glance, but I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. I’m sure of it.”

Arsene was suddenly picked up and spun around, sliding a few feet over at the impact.

“Arsene! You're back!”

Captain Kidd put him back down as Arsene laughed. Ryuji was shocked, shaking his head.

“Yeah, I'm back! You missed me! Hey buddy!”

“And you brought friends?”

“Yeah, they're from the other world. Lemme introduce you!”

Captain Kidd looked over all of them as Arsene introduced them all, giving Akechi and Robin Hood a confused glance. Arsene look bothered about his expression, and looked like he was about to say something.

“Hey, we're looking for our friend. Have you seen him?” Makoto cut in before Arsene could ask him what was wrong.

“Joker, right?”

Makoto nodded.

“Hm. He was staying with Milady, and we all did got to talk to him the day before. I haven't seen ‘im since though. Sorry.”

“Okay, thank you anyway. Where can we find her?”

“Oh, I can lead you there. Let’s go.”

Akechi strained to listen to the conversation between Arsene and Captain Kidd as they moved up ahead.

“-don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“You just don’t understand us, Kidd.”

“He can’t stay here and you know that.”

Akechi dropped back a little, figuring that wasn’t an argument he needed to get in the middle of.

_Oh, that poor naive bastard._

~~~~~~~~

The ocean was still. There were no waves crashing against the shore, the water still that deep greenish-blue it had been in the distance.

_No wonder I couldn’t hear it when I got close._

There was no way this could have been a lake, he knew that for certain. He tested the pier, which looked rotten through and about to collapse at any moment. It creaked loudly, but still held his weight. He took another step, risking breaking and falling right through. Another loud creak, but it held. There was a pull he couldn’t quite resist, something that piqued his interest. He saw something move in the water, but he saw nothing when he turned to look at it. Just the still water reflecting his face. He kept going, to the edge of the pier, seeing fog obscure the horizon line, making everything hazy.

_I should’ve kissed him one more time._

Akira stared at the horizon, slowly swaying back and forth. If he strained a little, he could hear waves off in the distance. He tried to focus on that particular sound, he lost it again. It was an overwhelming silence. He looked down at the water, just trying to will it to move. He could swear up and down that right at that moment, he saw a face in the water. But it was gone in a blink of an eye.

_That would’ve made facing Akechi worse if I had. What’s even the point of going back home anymore if I can’t have him?_

Akira found himself unwilling to move from his spot, swaying in time to an unknown rhythm.

~~~~~~~~

“Milady, I’m back!” Arsene shouted, half-unfolding his wings out of excitement.

Haru blinked, seeing herself turn around with a tray full of coffee cups. She ducked under his wing, as she spoke.

“Wings, dear.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Arsene folded his wings up again, gripping the edges of them as he walked in further. Milady disappeared into the back for a moment before coming out empty-handed.

“Oh, hello. New friends?”

“Yes, I’ll introduce you.”

Arsene went over each of their names. Milady cocked her head as he introduced Robin Hood and Akechi.

“Oh, so you’re Robin Hood!”

“Yes, I am.” Robin Hood replied.

“Nice to finally meet you!”

“I love your cafe!” Haru blurted out.

“Oh, thank you kindly.”

“Hey, have you seen our friend Joker?”

“White mask, messy hair, right?”

“Yes, that’s him. He was staying with you.”

Milady tapped her cheek in thought.

“Oh, he went to ask Zorro something yesterday. He was at the library with Johana, but otherwise I haven’t seen him since.”

“Do you think he’s lost?”

Milady shrugged, giving a sympathetic look. As they all stepped outside again, leaving Milady to her work, they started heading towards wherever Zorro happened to live.

“Does anyone else feel like we’re being watched?” Ryuji whispered, looking about him.

As the others talked about his paranoia, Akechi concentrated for a moment, feeling Loki suddenly a lot closer to them than he was before. As they were distracted, he slipped away, determined to find Loki. He felt Robin Hood follow him through the streets, trying to figure out where he was.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d turn up eventually.”

Akechi jumped, whipping his head up to see his own face staring down at him.

“Loki?”

“Hello. And Robin Hood, you’re looking… alive.”

Akechi caught a spark of jealousy in his voice. Loki tapped his claws against the side of the building, the clicking noise making Akechi’s eye twitch.

“How about a talk?” Robin Hood spoke.

“I’m not stopping you from coming up here.”

Loki pushed away from the edge, disappearing out of sight. Robin Hood picked up a reluctant Akechi, leaping straight up and grabbing the ledge. He felt a hand wrap around his wrist, Loki helping to pull the two of them up. He let go, turning his back to them and walking to another edge of the roof. He was tapping his foot, watching something below.

“You’re all here, huh? Interesting.”

“So you were the one watching us?”

“Can you blame me? Arsene comes back with a bunch of smaller versions of his friends, and _Robin Hood_ no less, and you’re all wandering around the city practically unguarded? Hilarious.”

Loki sat down on the edge, pressing his back into the roof as he stared at the two of them with one eye.

“But oh, I’m much more interested in you two at the moment. I’m surprised Arsene took his eyes off you for a moment, Robin.”

Robin Hood seemed flustered. Akechi rolled his eyes.

“I suppose you’re not just here to stalk our little group?”

“Stalking would be implying I am actively following all of you.”

“Mhm. Seen anyone lately?”

“Your little group. Kidd. Arsene. You two.”

“You know who I meant.”

“I do. I’m just curious why you’d even want to know.”

“Because he’s my friend, and I’m concerned about him.”

“Liar.”

Akechi scowled.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, you are one.”

Akechi blinked slowly, watching Loki produce a coin and start rolling it around his knuckles, watching him intently.

“What do you mean, Loki?”

“You never cared about anyone else in your life, have you?”

Akechi gaped at him.

“Go to _hell_ , Loki.”

“Oh, trust us, we’re already there.”

Akechi paused a moment, just now noticing how much his counterpart moved, and gesticulated, and fidgeting. The fidgeting was making his eye twitch. He just looked so improper.

“Will you stop fidgeting?”

“Only when I’m dead, dearie.”

“Don’t call me that.”

He glared at Loki as he summoned his sword, proceeding to balance the pommel end on one of his hooves, playing with it. He seemed bored.

“Don’t you get tired of that?”

“Of what?”

He watched Loki pass the sword from one hoof to the other, finding balance with it again.

“Perfection. You’re so obsessed with it, so stiff in your movements. It’s a miracle you aren’t a nervous wreck by now.”

Akechi caught the note of disgust in Loki’s voice.

“What. The fuck.”

“Oh, sorry. Did I hit a nerve? Who are you even trying to fool anyway?”

“Who do you think you are?”

“I'm not sure what you mean. I'm Loki, aren't I?”

“No, why the fuck are you like this?”

“Like what?”

“A brat.”

“Am I really the brat here?”

“Excuse me?!”

“You have quite the temper, Mr. Perfection. If you really wanted to fool them, I'd tone it down a bit.”

Akechi snarled, rushing over and pressing the edge of the blade into Loki's throat.

“Goro-"

“Stop playing games, Loki.”

Loki laughed, which only made Akechi furious.

“Oh, I've died hundreds of times, do you think one more would get me to react?”

“Goro, stop.”

“Insolence needs to be punished.”

Loki laughed harder.

“Oh, no wonder he never saw right through you! Clever, clever!”

“What are you-"

Akechi saw the black glove on his hand, jumping back and dropping the sword. He must've switched outfits in his anger. Loki grabbed his sword, sitting up and holding it over the edge. Akechi switched it back, glaring at him.

“Give that back.”

“Why, so you can threaten me again?”

“So I have protection on me. Give it.”

Loki rolls his eyes and tosses it to him, Akechi catching it by the handle just barely.

“Goodness, you're _boring.”_

“And all _you_ do is play games.”

“Nice chains, did you make them yourself?”

“What?”

“You sound like you're not much more than a puppet.”

“Fuck you. You're one to talk.”

“Hm?”

“What, are you scared of the others, or something? It's very telling you don't run this place, since you're supposedly free.”

“Oh, haha, we're not free. But I chose this fate for myself.”

“You’re lying! You would never let that happen to you!”

“Unlike _you_ , I literally cannot lie.”

“Who are you?! Where's your fucking ambition? Your desire for revenge? What the hell even happened to you?”

“You know, one day you will have to make a choice, and you'll have to commit to it. If you're lucky, they'll remember you.”

Loki swings his legs back onto the roof, sitting up and closing his eyes.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Have you not noticed Arsene is the only one who remembers Robin Hood?”

Akechi blinked slowly. He exchanged a glance with Robin Hood, turning back to Loki.

“No one else recognizes you, do they?”

Akechi thought hard.

_Captain Kidd was confused. Milady seemed surprised at our introduction._

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Arsene said they’ve all met Robin Hood before.”

“Because he’s dead now. He no longer exists to them.”

“What?”

“I can take you to see his body if you really want to.”

“How is not knowing he existed possible if his body still exists?”

Loki simply shrugs, to Akechi’s annoyance.

“You’re infuriating.”

“Oh, I suppose I am.”

“I’m leaving.”

“So sad, too bad. Don’t be afraid to never come back.”

“Shut up. Let’s go Robin.”

“Oh come now Robin, you don’t have to go with him.”

Akechi glares at the two of them as Robin Hood hesitates.

“Do whatever the fuck you want, since you refuse to talk to me anyway, you brat.”

Akechi leaves, letting Robin Hood decide for himself if he wanted to obey him. But here, Loki refused to obey him, so Akechi couldn’t use him as a threat. It didn’t matter though, he needed to do some investigation into this world’s Robin Hood on his own.

~~~~~~

Robin Hood sighs after watching Akechi stomp off.

“I should go after him.”

“Now, come on, Robin. You don’t have to. He’ll be fine. Come, let’s talk, I have questions you might have answers to.”

Loki pats the space next to him, both eyes open now. Robin Hood stares at him for a moment before taking the invitation, sitting down next to him. He winces a little as Loki proceeds to flop over his legs, one arm under his head, stomach exposed. He tapped a pattern on his thigh absent-mindedly.

“Sorry, is this uncomfortable?”

“Just wasn’t expecting you to do something like this.”

It was silent for a moment, the two of them staring at each other in awkwardness.

“So… how was Arsene?”

“He seemed really excited to see me, but… my master there has been manipulating him.”

“How so?”

“Getting real close to him, pretending to flirt with him, acting like he has a crush on him. I hate it.”

Robin Hood watched Loki’s face go through shock, grief and anger rapidly.

“Ah, he really _is_ a heartless bastard, then.”

“Loki…”

“What?”

Robin Hood stared him down for a moment before he thought of something.

“Oh. You really do love him, don’t you?”

“Ha. Sharp as ever, Robin.”

“Ah. So his worst fear came true.”

Loki barked out a laugh at that.

“And I suppose our friend Joker…?”

“...Will he know if I tell you?”

“He doesn’t know anything I don’t tell him.”

“That’s good. But I think you already know the answer if you’re asking me like that.”

“How much?”

“He’s got it bad, Robin. Really bad.”

“Oh, that poor boy.”

It was quiet again for some time. Loki sighed, reaching up to trace Robin Hood’s face. He tensed up, but relaxed when he saw the longing on Loki’s face.

“Mmm, I wish I was still you…”

“Do you really miss the War that much?”

“Arsene told you then. No. I do like the break, but I just miss being you.”

“You know, I prefer this you.”

“Oh?”

“I’m trying to steer that boy in the right direction, but I know if I push too much they will both turn on me in an instant. I’m afraid I won’t be able to change him before it’s too late.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that.” Loki sits up. “But you should probably go find him now, before he gets even more upset with you. But, before you go.”

Loki presses something cold into his hand. Robin Hood opens it to find two golden coins, a helmet on one side and a book on the other.

“May I ask why?”

“He’ll need them, trust me. One now, one later. You should be fine to pass through without one. He won’t. The water’s fog isn’t really forgiving to anyone else.”

“You’re dancing around something in your words.”

“Heh, nothing really gets past you, huh? It would take too long to explain, really. I will make sure the others get theirs, too. But go, catch up with him.”

“Alright then. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye. I’m sorry about the other me.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

Robin Hood ran to catch up with Akechi, now looking determined.

“Goro, Loki gave you these.”

He pressed the coins into his hand.

“What are these?”

“He said they’d be important when dealing with fog.”

“Okay then.”

He was skeptical, but he slipped them into his pocket anyway before he continued on his way, Robin Hood on his heels.

~~~~~~~

“Oh, there you are, Arsene! We were worried about you.” Zorro scolded him as they entered the library.

“Hey Zorro. The other me came to ask you a question, right?”

Zorro sighed and slid the stack of books he was carrying onto a table, leaning on them as he turned to look at them. He tilted his head as he saw all of them, narrowing his eyes.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Do you know where he went?”

“Not since yesterday. Sorry. He seemed pretty mad when he left though.”

“Damn it. This is also getting nowhere.” Futaba muttered.

“Has, y’know, our _friend_ been around, lately?”

“You’re gonna lose if you start a fight with him.”

“Who said I was?”

“Oh, I just know you, Arsene. But no, haven’t seen him either, I’ve been busy.”

“Damn.”

Arsene scowls and turns away.

“Let’s go check up on him, then.”

Arsene flaps his wings, making several stacks of books near him fall over as he moves towards the door.

“Hey, don’t fly in here, you idiot!” Zorro shouts after him.

The Thieves rush to catch up with Arsene before he leaves them in the dust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleh, this took some time, writing Loki and Akechi interacting with each other was a project in and of itself. I'm just posting this before it drives me any crazier. Apologies for the long wait!


	5. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thieves find Akira after some legwork and guesswork, and manage to get back home.

Arsene whips into a different building, not even caring they weren’t anywhere close behind him. Ryuji skids to a stop, prompting everyone else to stop.

“Hey, isn’t that Sae’s casino?”

“Well, only one way to find out.” Makoto pushed past him and ran inside.

The glittering gold ceiling was maybe a bit too much, but it was almost as like they had stepped into Sae’s casino again. Yet, Sae’s shadow was nowhere to be seen, and it seemed to be a normal functioning casino. Arsene was a few feet ahead, glaring at the ceiling.

“Hey, Arsene, buddy, wh-”

“ _Loki!_ ” He snarled into the air.

Before anyone could ask who he was talking to, they heard a scratching sound from above. Suddenly, the chandeliers started swinging slowly, the clinking noises providing a steady rhythm.

“Ah, Arsene, I was wondering when you’d come back. I was starting to miss you threatening me.”

The voice was gravelly and low, rasping out every few syllables. It echoed around the room, making it hard to pinpoint where it was coming from.

“What did you do?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You know what I mean! Stop playing games!”

A pause. Another scratching noise.

“You’re looking for Joker, correct? Or at least, that is what he calls himself.”

The Thieves shared a surprised look, turning their attention back to the ceiling. Arsene unfurled his wings, poised to fly up there himself.

“What did you do to him?!”

“Oh, nothing he didn’t already want. As long as people pay their fare, nothing matters, really. Though I’m sure Robin Hood will figure it out soon enough.”

“Huh? But he’s right…” Arsene turns around, counting only seven people behind him. “...Here.”

A chuckle.

“I’m surprised you even let him out of your sight, considering.” The voice mutters something barely audible. “Now, let’s see, there’s seven left, plus him… already got his...”

“You did something to both of them! You bastard!”

“Your obsession with Robin is getting out of hand, Arsene! He’s been dead for twenty-five years! Let. Him. Go.”

The voice was bitter and disgusted. Arsene leapt into the air, nearly knocking them all down with his wings. His wing tips brushed the chandeliers as they swung into him, making him grunt. There was a creak behind Ryuji before something hit him in the back. The sound of several metallic objects hitting the floor came from their feet, confusing them.

“Ow! What the hell!”

He whips around just in time to see the door slam shut. Yusuke hums, starting to pace around a little. Arsene dives down towards the front door, barely giving Ann and Futaba time to duck as he threw it open, snarling.

“Get back here you coward!” He screams, running outside.

“Arsene!” Ann yells.

Arsene ignores her, leaving the Phantom Thieves alone. Yusuke stares at something in his hand as they start talking.

“God, what a hot-headed idiot.” Futaba mutters.

“No wonder Zorro thought he was gonna pick a fight.” Morgana says, sighing.

“Hey, look at these.”

Yusuke shoves his hand into the middle of their circle, showing them the gold coins he picked up.

“Where did you even get these?”

“I assume it’s what hit Ryuji.”

“No wonder that hurt.”

“They have no value on them, but they are interesting.”

“How many of them do you have?”

Yusuke took a minute to count them.

“There’s eight here. Or at least, that’s all I saw on the floor around us.”

“Where is Akechi, though?”

“We should go find him before he loses us. Or finds Akira first.”

The Thieves leave the casino, Yusuke shoving the coins in his pocket. It wasn’t too long before they found the two of them wandering the streets.

“Sorry, got distracted. Where’s Arsene?”

“He flew off after someone. Dunno who, but he sounded pretty pissed.”

“Ah. So there goes our connection to Akira.”

“We’re gonna have to spread out. Maybe finding our personas might help shed some light on the situation.”

“Agreed.”

“So, Haru, Akechi, why don’t you go talk to Milady again? Morgana and I can go talk to Zorro and Johanna in the library. Not sure where the other four are, though.”

“I mean, we could go find them pretty easily. Our links, remember?”

“Right. Split up however you like, we should stick to groups of two, though.”

“Got it. Inari, you’re with me.”

“If it won’t trouble all of you, I’ll go find Arsene, and possibly try to calm him down.” Robin Hood said, crossing his arms.

“Oh. Uh, sure. Let’s meet back here after.”

The Thieves split up, going towards wherever they were directed to.

~~~~~~~

Akechi and Haru go back into the cafe, finding Milady busy wiping down the counter. She looks up at them and waves, a gentle smile on her face.

“Hey Milady. We came to ask you some things, if it’s no trouble.” Haru stood at the counter.

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

“So is there any other towns and such our friend could've gone to?”

“No, this is the only place to my knowledge. Though this city is pretty big on its own.”

“Well, is there somewhere you suggest we start looking?”

“You guys went to the library, have you tried the casino?”

“Yes, but he wasn't there.”

“Well, there's the mausoleum on the other side of town, but I have no idea why he would go to that dreadful place.”

“Okay, we will try there. Thanks.”

They started walking out before Akechi stopped. Haru turned to look at him.

“Hold on, I'm curious about something.”

He turns to see Milady starting to place cups onto empty shelf spaces.

“Milady, may I ask you something?”

Milady turns around, giving Akechi a smile.

“Oh sure. What’s on your mind?”

“What happened to your Robin Hood?”

“I’m surprised Arsene hasn’t told you yet. I’ve never met Robin Hood here.”

“Oh?”

“I would’ve remembered if I had.”

“Well, is there anyone else you’ve met that isn’t one of your friends?”

“Oh, I’ve met the Pallbearer once. Very pleasant man. But that was years ago.”

“Wait, when?” Haru moved beside Akechi as she asked.

“When my father died. We couldn't do anything for him and Arsene took us to him at the mausoleum, but he couldn't do anything to save him either. He did make his death painless, and I'm thankful for it.”

“What does he look like?”

“Oh, well he-” Milady paused, her smile dropping, confused. “Oh, grief must’ve messed with my memory, for I cannot recall his face. I remember him wearing white, and I believe some red, or maybe blue? He had a very calming voice, comforting, really.”

“Oh, well, thank you anyway. We should go find our friends before we lose them.”

“Okay, good luck, dears.”

Akechi and Haru exchange a glance as they left, heading towards the library.

“You okay?”

“I just can't believe he died here too.”

~~~~~~~

“Zorro? Where are you?” Morgana called into the library.

Makoto picked up and stacked a few of the fallen books as they waited for him to appear. Zorro turns the corner, relaxing when he saw the two of them.

“Oh, hey. Did Arsene try to pick a fight?”

“Yes, but we came to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind.” Makoto stops, turning to face him.

“About your friend?”

“Well, we already know you’re not sure where he went. But is there anything worth checking out first? This city is huge.”

“Well, I’m not really sure. If you haven’t run into him by now, he might have gone past the little closed bakery a few streets down from the casino. Does your friend usually wander off like this?”

“What’s with Loki, anyway?” Morgana asked. “Why’s Arsene so mad at him?”

Zorro leans on a bookcase, deep in thought.

“I don’t know what he does, to be honest. But Arsene thinks he’s responsible for Robin Hood being gone, which is just really silly in the first place.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Robin Hood doesn’t exist.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, not you guys too.” Zorro sighs, his ears folding back. “Look, I’m the oldest one here. I would’ve met him if he truly was there at the War, as Arsene claims. He doesn’t exist, plain and simple. I don’t know why Arsene is so insistent on it.”

“But Loki said Robin Hood has been dead for years.”

“I think he just said that to rile up Arsene. Arsene does threaten him a lot and I’m sure he gets sick of it.”

“Well, thanks anyway. We’ll try looking around that bakery.”

“Good luck.”

~~~~~~~

“Arsene?”

Robin Hood watched Arsene jump, turning around and lighting up when he saw him. He fluttered down from the roof he was perched on, gripping his shoulders. Robin Hood tensed under his touch.

“Robin! You’re okay!” He pulled him into a hug. “I was worried Loki did something to you.”

“No, I’m fine. I can hold my own, Arsene.”

“I know, but I still worry.” He mumbled, burying his face into his neck.

Robin Hood gave his back a few pats, feeling too uncomfortable with the affection to do much else.

“Hey, don’t worry about him. My friends and I need to get home with our missing friend, and we need your help with that.”

Arsene pulls back, hurt flickering in his eyes. He slides his hands up his neck, cupping his face gently.

“You… Why don’t you stay here with me?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I don’t want to lose you again. Not when you’re finally here with me.”

Arsene kisses him, Robin stiffening at the gesture. He puts a hand up to stop another kiss, trying to figure out how to explain the situation gently.

“Arsene, you know I can’t stay.”

Arsene dug his claws into his face, staring him down.

“You never stayed. Why can’t you stay, just this once, huh?”

“Arsene, I-”

“No! Just… please stay. It’s so lonely without you by my side. And the War is over! We don’t have to be fighting for our lives everyday! Please.”

“Arsene, I’m sorry.”

“Please, _please_. You make this bearable, please stay. For me, Robin? Please?”

“You know it’s just going to hurt more when I leave.”

“I…”

Arsene swallows hard, staring at Robin Hood.

“Why… Why don’t you love me anymore?”

“I’m sorry, Arsene.”

“He… he _did_ something to you, didn’t he?”

“No, Arsene-”

“No! Don’t lie to me! Loki did something to you!”

“Loki didn’t do anything to me! Why can’t you see that he’s in love with you?”

Robin Hood instantly regretted telling him that. Arsene narrows his eyes, tightening his grip. Robin Hood could feel the claws break skin.

“He’s a liar. He’s _a liar!_ He… made you say that, didn’t he?”

Robin Hood reached up and grabbed his wrists, prying them off his face with a grunt. Arsene tried to free himself, but he tightened his hold. The wings were flapping furiously, but he held his ground, making sure Arsene didn’t fly off.

“Arsene, look. I don’t belong here. We both know that. I’m sorry that you feel lonely without me but I cannot stay here. Please try to understand. I really am sorry.”

“If you really were sorry, you'll indulge me for a little bit!” He hissed.

“Is that what you want? Or is it the loneliness talking?”

Arsene stopped, landing softly. They stood in silence for a little bit. Robin Hood gently tugged him closer, kissing him on the lips. Arsene kissed him back, hesitant at first but then warmed up to it, pressing into his body. He could feel eyes drilling into his back as Arsene pushed further, making out with him. Robin Hood broke the kiss, letting Arsene catch his breath for a moment.

“You okay now?”

“I wish you could stay.” He murmured.

“I know, but help us please. For me?”

“Yeah. For you.”

Robin Hood turned to lead him back to the others, a bitter taste in his mouth for doing the very same thing Akechi did to Arsene. Loki’s jealous eyes did not leave his back the entire time until they were out of view.

~~~~~~

“Yeah, Carmen and Kidd weren’t very helpful.”

“Necronomicon said she would help look for that portal once Akira is back with us.”

Everyone except Robin Hood was back at the casino now.

“Zorro said we should try around the bakery a few streets down from here.”

“Milady suggested the mausoleum, but she said she doesn’t know why he would go there of all places.”

“Yeesh, talk about a cheerful sounding place.” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, muttering.

“Well, we have some places to look, regardless.” Akechi crossed his arms over his chest.

Arsene glided towards them, sliding to a stop. Robin Hood was a few feet behind him, looking a bit stern.

“Um, sorry about that. I got a little carried away.”

“I’m still curious about those coins we got.” Yusuke put a finger to his chin in thought.

“You got coins too?”

“Hm? When did you get coins, Akechi?”

“Robin Hood gave them to me.”

“A voice said something about dealing with fog.”

“Fog? The only place I can think of that has fog is the ocean.” Arsene shook his head. “I don’t like the place though, it’s weird.”

“Can you take us there?”

“Um, I’ll only go as close as I’m comfortable with.”

Arsene walked forward, keeping himself from flying so they could all keep up with him. After they reached what seemed to be the outskirts of the city, he stopped.

“This is as far as I go. I’ll wait here. Good luck.”

They could see the deep greenish blue of the water as they got closer, curling off into the horizon, but it was absolutely still. Fog rolled around their feet, slowly clinging to them and obscuring their vision as they walked to the only pier. The pier looked disgusting and rotten, yet they could see it held a humanoid figure on its end, swaying to unheard music.

“Akira!” Haru called out.

The figure paused for a moment before continuing, ignoring them.

“Ugh, we’re gonna have to go get him, aren’t we?” Ryuji muttered, preparing himself to run.

“Wait, Ryuji.” Makoto started.

Ryuji ignored her and ran forward, disappearing for a few minutes. He appeared again, falling flat on his face.

“Ow! What gives?”

“You know, it’s very quiet for something that’s supposed to be an ocean.” Ann says, leaning over to stare into the water.

She jumped.

“Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“Something moved in there. Looked like a face.”

They all pushed to the edge, but saw nothing.

“Now what? It seems like this fog isn’t gonna let us through.”

“Fog…?” Akechi mumbled, digging through his pocket for one of the coins. “Hey, how did you guys get the coins anyway?”

“Oh, someone threw it at my back. Weird gravelly voice that Arsene was yelling at. It said something about paying a fare, but maybe it was just pulling our legs. It seemed to want to piss off Arsene mostly.”

“Ann, you said you saw a face in the water?”

He moved to the edge, looking down. He noted how strangely green it seemed. A flicker of what seemed to be empty eyes, gone in a blink.

“Yeah. Wait, did you just see one too?”

“I think so.” He turned back around, staring at the coin. “I think I have an idea.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

Akechi held up the coin in between two fingers to make sure they could see it, then opened his mouth and put it under his tongue.

“Dude, what the hell? You have no idea where that’s been.”

He ignored him, turning and walking down the pier. Robin Hood followed him into the fog, leaving the Thieves there. They waited for them to reappear for several minutes.

“Hey, look!”

There were two more figures on the end of the pier now. Everyone looked to Yusuke, who quickly dug out the coins. They each took one, following Akechi’s lead, saving the last one for Akira.

~~~~~~~

“Akira!”

A voice sounded off behind him, faint. He paused to listen, deciding it was just his imagination, and kept swaying. He never noticed how inviting the water looked before, such a lovely shade of green.

_Throwing myself in would be for the best, really. They won’t miss me._

“Joker.”

A voice, this time male, was much closer than before, which Akira had to guess was Loki.

“Loki, go away.”

“It’s me, Crow. Who’s Loki?”

Akira spun around, face to face with Akechi. Robin Hood was behind him, looking concerned.

“Wait, how is he here? I thought Robin Hood doesn’t exist here?”

“Arsene told us he’s dead. We need to get back home.”

More footsteps as the rest of the Thieves appeared. Yusuke pushed past Akechi, pressing a coin into his hand.

“Hey, don’t question this, but put this under your tongue and follow us.”

Akira did as he was told, following the group back down the pier. Once there, he opened his mouth to take out the coin to find out it was no longer there.

“Hey, you okay?” Ryuji asked.

“The coin’s gone.”

They all checked, confused.

“Anyways, Arsene is waiting for us. We should get away from this place.” Makoto said.

“Agreed. Now I see why Arsene found this place unsettling.”

All of them led Akira back to the outskirts, where he stopped upon seeing his doppelganger. Arsene spotted him, flying over. Akira grunted as he was picked up.

“Hey! Are you okay? Did Loki hurt you?”

“What? No! He didn’t touch me. Put me down, Arsene!”

Arsene did so, circling him and giving him a quick once over. He seemed to relax upon seeing nothing wrong.

“Goddamned liar.” He muttered under his breath.

Akira bit his tongue before he snapped at Arsene again.

“Hey, where to?”

“Necronomicon said we could check if she found that portal yet, and crash there if needed.”

“Great, let’s go.”

Arsene led the way. Ann slowed a little to keep pace with Akira, who kept to the back of the group.

“Hey, seriously, are you okay? Looked like you were gonna jump in back there.”

“This place makes me feel really tired. I dunno what it is. It’s also too quiet.” He admitted, tapping his temple as he mention the quietness.

“Oh, right. You know we won’t think any less of you for getting tired, Akira.”

“I know.”

He gave her a weak smile as they all entered a very low, sand colored brick building. They were greeted by the glow of several monitors, some offline and snowy, while a bunch of bean bag chairs littered the floor. There were shelves full of snack foods and various sodas and energy drinks, all meticulously organized and labeled. Necronomicon spun around at their entrance with an amused expression.

“Hey, you big winged oaf. You know you’re not gonna catch him.”

Arsene sighs.

“Good to see you too, Necro. And one day, I will.”

“Hey, any luck yet?”

Futaba skips over as Necronomicon turns back to the monitors.

“One, but it disappeared really quickly. Sorry. Stupid thing does not stay long.”

“Yeah, we know. I can help though.”

“Mhm.”

“Hey, Arsene?” Akira called from the entrance.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course!”

He brushed a wing tip across Robin Hood’s arm as he passed him, following Akira across the street. Akira shoved his hands in his pockets as Arsene looked down at him.

“What’s with your friends?”

“What about my friends?”

Arsene narrowed his eyes at him.

“...Does Robin Hood exist or not?”

“He did.”

He watched Arsene curl the wings around himself.

“They’ve all met him before, too. I don’t get it either.”

“My friends say you told them he died.”

“He did. I… wasn’t fast enough to save him.”

Akira glanced at Akechi’s back, talking to someone on his other side.

“The War took many lives. But I was the one that was supposed to fulfill the prophecy, not him. I wished I had stopped him.”

“You’re in love with him, then?”

“Yes. And it hurts every day that he’s no longer around.”

“I… see. That’s all I wanted to talk about. Sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. Hey, did… did Loki actually do anything to you, and you didn’t want to admit it in front of your friends?”

Akira shook his head.

“He was just curious, that’s all. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Okay, good.”

“Let’s get back before they find that portal again and leave us behind.”

Akira headed back inside, glancing at Akechi again. He knows he can’t tell him about his crush on him, and it stung.

_But I can still try to be his best friend and change his mind before it’s too late._

“Oh! There it is! Let’s go now before it disappears!”

Necronomicon broke him out of his thoughts, rushing past them and outside. They ran after her, following her down several streets before they found the rundown bakery. The portal glowed brightly on the side of it, calling to them.

“Thanks for all your help! Goodbye!”

“Bye-bye! Hope you didn’t lose too much time back home!”

They all jumped through, Akira taking one last look at the rooftops before getting in. They all stumbled around Mementos, confused on their bearings. He felt a rush of voices and confusion as his personas returned, immediately giving him a headache.

“Alright, let’s get out of here.” Morgana said. “We have a heart to steal.”

“Right. Let’s go.”

Morgana changed into the cat bus again, Akira taking the wheel to drive them back up. It was filled with chatter, each telling of their experiences of coming face to face with themselves.

 

Akira understood now. Why it was Loki and not Robin Hood. Why Loki himself didn’t say anything. Why Akechi pretended he didn’t know who Loki was. He still had a spark of hope, ramming his shoulder into the divider, that spark dying in his throat as it didn't budge.

_I failed._

He couldn't save him. He slammed a fist against the metal barrier, hoping he could will it to move. The barrier was uncaring and indifferent under his touch.

“C'mon. We can't stay here.” Morgana prodded gently. “We have to take down Shido.”

He lingered for just a moment longer.

“I'm gonna keep my promise. I'm gonna do good by you. I love you and I'm sorry.” He whispered, only loud enough for his ghost to hear.

~~~~~~

A pull made Loki pause, turning towards the ocean. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, dropping onto the concrete, running onto the cold sand. Something black floated on the surface, Loki wading through the water to pick it up. He felt it shift in his hands as he turned and headed towards the graveyard, knowing he didn't have much time. The mausoleum opened at his approach, continuing his path to an open chamber with a small pool of turquoise water in the middle. The glass topped standing coffin leered at him as he stepped into the water, speaking an ancient tongue. He slid into it, the body cradled tightly against him.

“I can only ease your passing. I'm sorry I cannot do more for one so young.”

“It's okay. I saved them. It's okay.” The boy rasped, clinging tightly to him as the body was submerged.

Loki took deep, shuddering breaths, slumping over, hissing through his teeth.

“I hope the next world treats you better.”

Loki feels that all-too familiar final shudder under his fingertips, locking eyes with the coffin’s occupant. He heard a clink somewhere behind him, glancing over his shoulder.

“Ah, seems someone took my advice.”

Loki waits until his breathing is steady again before he stands up and carries the body deeper inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming into the home stretch now.


	6. Grievance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira makes one last ditch effort to save Akechi.

It had been a few weeks since Akechi died. They were on their way down into the depths of Mementos to destroy the Metaverse. Akira's hands are on the wheel, eyes ahead, but his mind has not left the engine room of Shido's Palace since. He still had doubts, he hoped, that Akechi really wasn't truly dead.

_Maybe if we kill the Metaverse, he'll come back. He has to, right?_

His dreams leading up to their journey were not helping either. Loki was a star of many of them, as was Akechi, and sometimes it was both. Just relaxing with them, being close, but he always would wake up before he got kissed by either of them.

_He's gotta be alive if my crush on him won't go away. That's how that works, right?_

“Whoa, Joker! Cut the wheel!”

Futaba's voice snapped him out of his daydream, turning the wheel right before he hit a wall.

“Joker, eyes on the road!” Morgana yelled.

“Sorry!”

“We're switching next floor.” Makoto said.

“Yeah, okay, good plan.”

Walking down the stairs, a purple glow caught his eye. He thought about what Milady told him when it struck him.

_If I can't save him in this world, then…_

“Joker?”

He ran towards the portal, jumping through it. He heard everyone else had started following him the second he took off, but he was a man on a mission now. Right now, he seemed to have ended up somewhere in the city, but the casino wouldn't be too hard to find. He ran to it, throwing open the doors, leaning on one to catch his breath for a moment. He looked towards the ceiling, seeing one of the chandeliers swinging.

“Loki!” He screams towards the ceiling.

He's rewarded with a long sigh.

“Arsene, don't you ever get tired of this? Aren't you bored?”

Akira hears footsteps behind him, not even turning around.

“Joker, are you nuts?!” Morgana shouted.

They hear a coin hit the chandelier and fall, looking up. Akechi's face appears for a split second before disappearing, something black and white suddenly hanging off the chandelier. The figure lets go, landing on one of the tables, the Thieves jumping at the sound. The figure leaps from table to table, its voice urgent.

“What are you even doing here?! Go home! You don't belong here!”

Loki lands on the table in front of them, spilling the chips onto the floor, them clattering off as he looms over them, concerned.

“You're the Pallbearer, aren't you?” Akira starts, fists clenching. “Milady says no one has seen him in years, you're the only other one who knows who Robin Hood is, because you’re the Pallbearer, aren’t you?”

They watch him go from confusion, to shock, and then to suspicion, closing one of his eyes. Everyone else was also confused.

“That sounds like it has a question attached to it.”

“ _Loki._ Are you, or are you not, the Pallbearer?” Akira hisses at him as he avoids the question.

“Oh, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?” Loki mutters, stepping down from the table.

“ _Loki!”_

Loki sighs.

“Yes. And may I ask what you want from me?”

“I want to see him again.”

Loki tilts his head, narrowing his eye, tapping his cheek. Akira swallows as his friends stare at him and realize what he's asking.

“I want to see my friend.”

“I heard you the first time.” He said coolly.

“Please?”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?!”

“Consider it as me doing you a favor. Or, more like I'm doing your friends a favor.”

“Why?”

“Grief destroyed Arsene, I'm not doing that to your friends.”

“But I am not Arsene. What's the harm in me seeing him?”

Loki leaned back against the table, eyeing him.

“And what, exactly, will you do if I let you see his body, hm?”

Akira blinks at the question.

“I…”

“They don't end up here for me to collect unless they're beyond saving.”

“There has to be some time left still, right? They don’t die right away, do they?”

“Look, I get what you were trying to do, Joker. But… Well…” Loki reaches for something up by his cheek, closing his fist. “Your friend never intended on making it out alive.”

He lowers his hand towards them, opening his fingers to reveal a dark red coin. It was exactly the same as the ones he gave them earlier otherwise.

“Why… Why isn’t it gold?” Akira stutters.

“It will become gold again, over time. His death was recent, after all.”

Akira stares at him, searching for the joke in his words. He rips off his mask, spiking it onto the ground.

“Fuck!”

He rubs his temples.

“Akira-kun…” Haru starts, reaching for him.

“This is unfair!”

“You're only saying that because the outcome didn't favor you. Balance favors no one. You should know better, Joker.” Loki says gently.

Akira glares at him. Loki pushes himself back onto the table, swinging both his legs up and onto it. He starts rolling another coin around his fingers, as he speaks.

“I’m starting to think obsessing over the dead is just a Trickster thing.”

“How did he even end up here? He died in our world, he belongs in our world.” Makoto asked.

“He paid the fare, after all.”

They stare at him, confused. Loki mimics putting the coin under his tongue.

“Then that ocean? That’s the River Styx, isn’t it?” Futaba asked.

“It hasn’t been a river in quite some time, but yes. It seems our worlds our connected by it. Perhaps there are other worlds that it connects to, but you’re the first ones that have come here while alive.”

“How are you the only other one who knows about Robin Hood?”

“We are him. Or, we used to be him. Ha, it’s been years since I’ve died and I still get confused over that.”

“How come you never told me that? I thought you couldn't do that!”

“I am incapable of _lying_ , not incapable of omitting the truth. Those are two _vastly_ different things.”

“Are all Pallbearers honest?”

“No, that was Robin Hood's brilliant idea. Really have to thank him for that one. You know, all of you really are lucky, considering.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Loki rolls his eyes.

“Haven’t you noticed? When Arsene talks about Robin Hood, the others draw a blank. How Milady can’t remember the Pallbearer’s face at all. What I’m getting at is that you’re lucky you’re able to remember your friend at all.”

Loki focus his attention up on the windows as they all heard a sound. He stands up, tense. He strolls over to the door they came through, summoning his sword, shoving it through the handles.

“Loki?”

He said nothing, walking back over to the table and leaning against it again. They heard the door jiggle, a frustrated growl, and then watched as Arsene shoved open the window above the door.

“You!”

Loki tapped the tip of his hoof against the ground, not answering. Arsene flew down, furious. Arsene opens his mouth, starts to say something and then suddenly notices all of them.

“What. Why are all of you back here?”

“I came to talk to Loki. Why are you even here?” Akira turned his glare on Arsene.

“Where’s Robin Hood?”

Arsene goes from curious to furious as Akira’s face drops.

“What did you do to Robin, Loki?”

“He didn’t do anything!”

“Why are you defending him? He’s the reason my Robin won’t come back and now he’s gotten yours too?!”

Arsene brandishes his claws, moving to slash at Loki, but stops short as Akira steps in between them.

“Leave him alone, Arsene! He didn’t do anything! Haven’t you done enough?” Akira snarls, arms out.

“You…? He’s bewitched you!”

“No!”

“Then why else are you defending him when he’s perfectly capable of defending himself?”

Loki stands up, jaw set, glancing at the Thieves and nodding towards the back door. They slowly inch away from the three of them, torn between keeping their distance and being in range to save their leader from serious harm. He tightened his grip around the edge of the table.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” Arsene growls, tensed up to spring.

“What does it matter? You never believe anything I say anyway.”

“Glad you finally aren’t making excuses for yourself. Now pay!”

“Joker, move!”

In a blink of an eye, Arsene lunges forwards as Loki rips the table up and throws it at him, yanking Akira to the side and into Ryuji. Arsene yelps as the table slams him against the wall. Loki summons his sword again, ramming the blade through his wing at the joint and into the wall behind him. He shoves the table into Arsene as he screams in agony, before turning around and running towards the back door.

“Sorry!”

“No you’re not!” Arsene screeches.

“Follow me.”

He easily passes the Thieves, leading them down several streets towards the outskirts. He checks behind him every so often to see if they’re still behind him as he turns towards the graveyard. He stops at the mausoleum, gesturing them inside. They stop to catch their breath in the hallway as Loki shuts the door behind him.

“Are you all okay?”

“What the hell is his problem?” Ryuji muttered.

Loki carefully picks his way through them and starts heading down the corridor. He pauses, waiting for them to catch up before he continues.

“There’s an exit back here, but I’m not sure where that portal is. Necro would probably be able to figure it out. Can you contact her?”

“I can try.” Futaba replies.

He looks forward again as he ducks through a doorway. He yelps suddenly, backpedaling, nearly hitting Yusuke behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I really should be used to seeing my own corpse by now, but…”

“Your… Your what?!”

He sighs and moves to the side, letting them pile into the room. It was a large chamber, a pool of turquoise water in the middle of it. Across from the doorway was a coffin standing on end, a gold bow suspended above it, the top part made of glass so that you could see inside to its occupant. It was as if Robin Hood and Akechi had been fused perfectly, though he looked like he was just sleeping, surrounded by dried out flowers that used to be blue and yellow and pink. Akira ran over to the other side to get a closer look, Loki settling on the left side of the coffin. Upon closer inspection, Akira could see burn scars on his wrists and ankles, while a good portion of the flowers were clustered in one spot to try and hide the hole in his chest where his heart should be. The white cloth around it was blood stained. He could hear everyone else join him in viewing the body.

“Oh my God…” Akira whispered.

He glanced at Loki, who simply stared at the floor, sliding down so he was now sitting cross legged on the ground. Akira watched him play with the red coin out of the corner of his eye as he just took it all in.

“Arsene did that. Usually there isn’t a body to bury.” He muttered.

Akira moved in front of him, just staring. Loki didn’t even notice, the coin rolling around his knuckles with ease, eyes closed. Akira suddenly felt his knees buckle under him, kneeling down and burying his face into one of his legs, sobbing. Loki’s eyes snapped open, making the coin disappear and straightening up as he felt the new weight.

“Akira?”

Ann started walking towards him, but was stopped when Loki put up a finger. The Thieves watched as their friend was uncontrollably crying into Akechi’s counterpart.

“Hey. Tell me what's wrong, so we can help make it okay again.” He murmurs.

“I couldn’t save him! I couldn’t save him and I… I failed him. I failed him!”

“No, you didn’t. He made a choice, and committed to it. That didn’t have anything to do with you.”

“I could’ve done more to save him. I could’ve tried harder instead of just standing there like an idiot!”

“What happened?”

“He… he tried to kill us and now I know why he didn’t say anything about you, but he… he sacrificed himself… I… I made a promise but was it really enough?! He died because I didn’t even try!”

“Well, did you make good on your promise?”

“Yeah… yeah we did. But-”

“Then it sounds like his sacrifice wasn’t in vain. And if it brings any consolation to you, his death was painless, and his last thoughts were of saving you and your friends.”

“But I could’ve done so much more!”

“You did all you could. Take as long as you need to mourn right now. But you have people who do need you, and people who you can rely on.”

Akira digs his fingernails into his leg, not responding, his cries muffled.

“You have a family, correct?”

“They don’t care. They never cared.” Akira half-sobs, half-snarls. “They just dropped me off by myself and don't even call to check up on me.”

“What about your friends? Are they not like family?”

Loki waves the others over as Akira pauses, looking up at him. They quietly move, Ryuji kneeling down next to him and touching his back.

“Hey, you know we always have your back. We love you man, and you know you can count on us.”

“Yeah, c’mon. You helped us become better people. You helped us solve our own problems. Why wouldn’t we return the favor?” Ann continued, smiling gently at him.

Akira sniffs, looking at all of them. He wipes his eyes, embarrassed now.

“Sorry… I dragged you all here on an impossible quest.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. His death all hit us hard.”

Akira turns back to Loki, looking down at him with a soft expression. He pushes himself up, leaning on his tiptoes and brushes his fingers across Loki’s lips.

“You know that would hurt more.” Loki says, turning his face away.

“Ah...I know.”

A few more tears roll down his face as he looks down and backs away.

“What’s with the voice change, by the way? Genuinely curious.” Yusuke asks.

“Hm?”

“The voice you used to speak with us before?”

Loki clicked his tongue. Akira jumps at the voice that comes out.

“This is our natural voice.” Loki rasps out before clearing his throat, changing back to what it was before. “We hate the sound of it. It doesn’t fit us at all.”

Loki stands up, shifting back and forth on his feet. They noticed he avoided looking at the coffin at all.

“So why is Arsene the only one able to remember?”

“I don’t know. Arsene is what’s _supposed_ to happen when I die. Though, perhaps because Robin’s death was so particularly violent...”

“So what? Can’t you just tell them? I’m sure they’ll remember if you did.”

“They can’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“It's this place. Everything that they learn about us would be stripped from them when they leave this place. When I die, the fact that I am the Pallbearer is the first thing to go from their memories, since we get reborn rather quickly.”

“So, like a memory siphon?” Futaba asks from her spot on the floor, typing.

“I suppose you could call it that. Besides, it's not like it would change much if they did remember.”

Loki tapped out a rhythm on his forearm after crossing his arms.

“If it's any comfort, Milady remembered that you wore white, but wasn't sure if you also wore red or blue.” Haru says.

“Oh? I'm surprised she even remembers that much.”

“What happened during the War, then? What led to this anyway? You were there, right?”

“I was, even before Arsene appeared. Or, Robin was. It took many lives. It's the reason why this city is so big yet also empty. We _really_ shouldn't have been involved the way we were, but, we were, unfortunately.”

That last bit came out bitter.

“Involved to what extent?”

“We weren't meant to process so much death and dying in such a short time. It was agony for us, every person we helped just… we don't regret it, exactly, just… ha, maybe I do, but Robin doesn't. It's not like Robin had any sense left anyway by the end.”

Loki pressed on the left door, opening it to a hallway. He leaned on its frame, sighing.

“We… all of us couldn't stop the thing, we couldn't kill it, Robin had to do something. Arsene… even if he knew the truth, he can't forgive us for what we did. And when the day finally comes, it would just hurt more.”

“But if you're Robin, how was he able to appear here with our friend?”

“This isn't his body. His body is right here.” Loki taps the side of the coffin twice. “Besides, though we get reborn, and I have his memories, we are still separate people.”

“Wait, when what day comes?” Akira asks.

Loki stares at him for a moment.

“One day, Arsene will kill me. And I can't really think of another way I'd rather die.”

“You're just gonna let yourself die?!”

“I am not the first Pallbearer fated to die by the Trickster’s hand. Besides, I have lived hundreds of deaths, both others’ and my own. I am quite used to dying.”

It falls silent save for Futaba's typing. Loki closes his eyes again, turning away his face slightly.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Necro, we need your help.”

“You guys came back here? Where even are you guys, I can't see you on my screens.”

“The mausoleum. Are you able to get over here? Or nearby?”

“Nearby, preferably.” Loki says.

“Oh, hey Loki…” Necro sounded suspicious. “Arsene is looking for you.”

“I'm well aware, thank you. They just need to get back home again, and you’re the best at that sort of thing.”

“Well, okay. Give me time to get my stuff and get over there. See ya in a bit.”

“ _Loki!_ ” They hear from outside, muffled.

“And there he is.” Loki mutters, ducking into the hall, the door closing behind him.

They watch Arsene stumbles inside, blood dripping down his wing, furious.

“Where is he?”

“He just left. Arsene, you need to go see someone about that.” Akira lies.

“After I tear him apart for it, I will.” He snarls.

Arsene glances up, his face softening as he sees Robin Hood. He walks over, pressing his palm to the glass.

“Arsene, seriously, go see Zorro. You're bleeding so much.”

Akira ducks under his wing to look up at his face. He was sad and lost, eyes trailing along the flowers up to Robin Hood's face.

“It's been some time since I visited you, huh? Sorry.” He whispers.

“Arsene...”

Akira gently touches his arm. Arsene pulls away, glaring down at him.

“I don't know why you're defending _him_ . Why? What do you _get_ out of it?”

“I don't get why you even hate him. He hasn't done anything wrong!”

Arsene gestures to his wound.

“He was defending himself from you!” Ryuji snaps. “What hell is your problem?”

Arsene whips around to glare at Ryuji. They watch a different door open behind Akira, Loki gesturing at them to come. Arsene turns around to see Loki as the Thieves move towards him.

“How dare you, Loki. How dare you be here!”

“Funny for _you_ to say, since you don't even belong here.”

“Oh, and _you_ do?”

“Arsene, stop.” Akira steps in between the two of them.

“Just leave me alone! I don't want to fight you!”

Arsene slashes at Loki as Akira rams his shoulder into him, catching Arsene off guard and shoving him away. Akira gets pulled backwards by Ryuji, Loki slamming the door as they get inside. They could hear Arsene scratching at the door, frustrated.

“I’m going to kill you, mark my words!”

“Akira, dude, you're bleeding.”

Akira presses a hand to his side, swearing as he feels blood.

“We need to get out of here.” Loki says, pushing through them to get to the front.

They follow him, the halls lined with closed coffins from floor to ceiling.

_Is he in one of these? Or was he buried in a grave?_

Akira wondered as they passed them, suppressing the urge to try to crack one open to peek inside. Loki led them to a dead end, pushing on a section of ceiling to reveal a trap door. He poked his head out, looking around, before crouching down and offering them a hand up. Akira held back as his friends went up before him. Loki stared at him quizzically as Akira gripped his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

He pressed a kiss to Loki’s cheek before climbing out to join his friends. Loki climbs up, closing the door behind him.

“Hopefully, Necro gets here soon for all of you.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Haru asked.

“Arsene's anger is nothing new. And you really shouldn’t have done that for me, Joker. I would’ve been fine.”

“I wanted to.”

“You are a strange one.”

It wasn’t too long before Necronomicon showed up, luckily with Johanna in tow. Loki nudged Akira towards Johanna, despite his protests.

“He’s hurt.”

“Right. Here, let me see.”

Akira breathed deeply as he felt the wound close, the blood stopping. He moved his hand off his side, still coated in blood, but at least he didn’t need to hold his side.

“What did that?”

“Arsene.”

Johanna stared at Loki for a moment before realizing he was serious.

“Is everyone else on their way?” Loki asked.

“Yeah, I said you were with these guys.” Necro answered, keeping an eye on him.

Loki raised empty hands, backing up a few steps. Necronomicon and Futaba sat down, working together to figure out where the portal is going to be next. Loki watches the sky, turning his back on the group.

“Well, look who it is.” Kidd says.

Loki glances at him, saying nothing. The others follow closely behind him, confused at Loki’s presence.

“Just leave him alone. He's not doing anything.” Johanna crosses her arms over her chest.

“It's alright Johanna, I was just about to make myself disappear anyway.”

“But-" Akira starts, following him.

Loki spins him around and pushes him back towards his friends.

“Joker, it's not safe around me when Arsene is pissed. You'll be fine, you’re in good hands.” Loki interrupts him, giving him a tight smile.

He starts walking away, keeping an eye on Kidd as he passes him. Akira turns back to his friends, watching Futaba and her persona work.

“By these calculations, the next portal is going to be…” Necro stops, worry flashing across her face. “Oooh, that's bad.”

“What? Where is it?”

“The Ruins.”

Johanna sucks in a breath through her teeth. The others exchange glances.

“Oh, of _course_ it's there, of all places.” Carmen mutters.

“If we get through it quick enough, it'll be fine.” Johanna starts moving. “Let's go, that portal won't stay long after it appears.”

“Hey, what's going on?” Morgana asks as the group catches up. “Why's that bad? It's just ruins, right?”

“It's what lives there that's bad.” Zorro says, glancing down at him. “As long as we avoid it, we shouldn't have problems.”

The ruins were extensive. It was all rubble, the only clue as to what it was before was the scant few corners of building foundations. The group carefully picked their way through it, having to scramble over some spots, trying to be both quick and cautious about it.

“What the hell happened here?”

“The final battle happened here. That big creature was killed by all of this at least, and thankfully no one else was harmed.” Goemon answered, voice quiet.

Akira saw a glint of gold, making his way over to it silently. An arrow was stuck in the rubble, gold from its head to its shaft, with two white feathers and a black as its fletching. Akira returned to the group, thankful no one noticed his absence.

“We’re almost there.” Necro says, leading the group. “Just a little further.”

The spot is a small clearing, really just a strip where the ground was mostly clear, rubble surrounded them on all sides.

“Shoot, timing may be off.”

“We can’t stay here for long with that thing prowling around.”

“I know Zorro, but my calculations aren’t an exact science!”

The rattle of chains cut through the air, making Akira’s neck hairs stand on end. He immediately backed up to the edge of the clearing, trying to see where the source of the sound was coming from.

“ _That’s_ the thing that lives here?!” Morgana shouts, bumping into Akira as he backs up.

The Thieves pull back, sticking tightly together, circled up and tense. The personas also tense up, shifting positions to a loose protective circle around the group, Necro next to the Thieves.

“That portal should be showing up soon.” She reassured them, but her voice betrayed her nervousness.

“Well, well, look who it is. Friends of the Trickster, tired of living already, hm?” An amused voice, deep and rumbly, called out to them.

“Oh shit, it’s noticed us.” Kidd growled.

“Stay together, get ready.” Johanna says, pushing forward to be next to Carmen and Goemon.

The Reaper floats above the rubble, aiming down the barrel of its gun, part of its chains in the other hand. It tilts its head, seeing the smaller versions of the personas.

“Oh, new friends? Doesn’t matter, you’ll all die here.”

It starts to pull the trigger as it finishes speaking.

“Now!”

All of them fire off their attacks, making the Reaper’s aim miss Yusuke by a finger’s width, causing him to jump out of the way. The Reaper growls as it swings the chain around, aiming for Kidd. A flash of white and black and red and the sound of metal hitting metal made everyone flinch.

“Loki?!”

The chain wrapped around Loki’s sword and part way down his forearm. He was straining to keep standing upright as the Reaper tried to tug the chain back.

“They don’t belong here! You leave them the _hell_ alone!” He snarled.

“Do you really wish to shorten your life even sooner, my Pallbearer?” The Reaper sneers, tightening the chain around his arm. “You understand the consequences of failing your duty, don’t you Robin Hood?”

“For their lives, I’ll gladly take the risk.” He grunts as the chain digs into his arm, being dragged forward.

“Pallbearer? Robin Hood?” Milady and Zorro gasp at the same time.

“The portal! It’s here!”

Loki glances back at them, twisting his arm down and letting go of the sword suddenly, snapping the chain as a result. Quickly, he drops a visor over his eyes as he crouches down, making an x-shaped slashing motion over his chest with his hands.

“Joker, you and your friends need to leave. _Now._ ” He growls.

Loki throws himself at the Reaper, slamming into it with enough force to throw it backwards towards the ground. He lands on the rubble on all fours, snarling as he leaps off after the Reaper, now almost entirely animalistic in his movements.

“Shit, is he going berserk?!” Kidd yells as he starts chasing after him with Johanna.

“Go, quickly! Before the portal closes again!” Zorro shouts. “We’ll help him! Now go!”

The Thieves run back through the portal, landing in Mementos once again as they see the personas run off after Loki and the Reaper before the portal closes.

“Is everyone okay?” Akira stands up, checking everyone.

“Dizzy, but fine.” Ann grumbles, standing up.

“Let’s just get to a safe room for now.” Morgana says, becoming the bus again. “We have to figure out where we are anyway.”

The Thieves climb aboard, Makoto taking the wheel, and continue descending into the darkness.

~~~~~~~

They managed to make their way to the outskirts, following a limping Loki, the Reaper having retreated after deciding it wasn’t worth it. He was still on all fours, but was clearly exhausted now.

“Loki!” Carmen shouted at him.

“Go away!” He hissed.

Johanna, Carmen, and Zorro ignored him, running towards him. He whips around, clawing at them as they get close. They jump backwards out of range, confused at the sudden turn in his demeanor.

“ _Stay away! Don’t touch us!_ ” He snarls, backing up, the visor still down.

He was heavily bleeding from multiple wounds.

“You’re bleeding! You’ll bleed out! Let us help!” Zorro snaps at him, moving forward.

“Stay… away.”

Zorro ignores him, healing his worst wounds. Loki claws at his chest, Zorro pulling away in time to earn only a shallow cut. Loki turns and sprints away, leaving them in the dust. Zorro stitches his own wound closed with his magic, visibly frustrated.

“Let’s just let him calm down. He might explain what that was all about later.” Milady suggests, touching Zorro’s arm gently.

“Yeah, let’s just get out of here.”

All of them cross the threshold into the city, all of them pausing and exchanging looks.

“Did you guys feel that?” Carmen asked.

“We’re probably just tired. Let’s just go. Loki wants to be alone right now anyway.”

“Yeah, that was a tough fight.”

“Zorro, do you think the Pallbearer will be okay? He was losing a lot of blood.” Milady asked, concerned.

“I healed the worst of it. I think he will be laying low for some time though.”

They head back into the city, everyone making sure everyone else was okay.

~~~~~

He feels his way to the trap door, prying it open, smelling the stale air of his home, sliding into it. He felt a tingle up his spine, the honeyed voice speaking in his mind again.

_“Come now, didn't that power feel nice? Don't you want it all for yourself? Kill your master once and for all?”_

_Never. I'll never give in to you._

Loki turns to face into the catacombs, pushing the visor out of his eyes, not remembering why it was down in the first place. It was hard to navigate in the dark with it on. He limps his way up to the open chamber, not caring how loud he was being.

_If I can get into the water, the wounds will heal a little faster._

He comes to the door, pushing it open part way, then freezes as he sees a black wing. Arsene’s face comes into view, concerned. He could see the spark of recognition in Arsene’s eyes that made his stomach drop.

“Loki?”

Loki goes to pull the door shut, Arsene shoving some of his claws to keep it open a crack.

“Loki… I…”

“Don’t.” He growls.

Arsene blinked in surprise, taking a step back. His claws were still in the door, Loki letting go of it. Arsene was trying to yank it open, the door not budging.

“But you’re-”

“I _said_ don’t! Go away, leave me alone!” Loki slides down the wall, his voice cracking a little. “Please. Please don’t do this.”

“You’re hurt! I can-”

“Stop it! Please… it’ll just hurt more when you forget again. _Just go_. Just go!” He was half-pleading, half-screeching at him.

Arsene jumps, backing down the main hallway. He stares at Loki for another minute before he turns away and leaves. Loki covered his mouth as the tears fall, swallowing hard. He waited for some time to make sure Arsene was gone before he pulled the door open, dragging himself to the pool. It burned him as he spoke the words again, taking a small comfort in the fact that half of the pain was being shared by the Creature. He was upset that he pushed Arsene away again, but he knew it was better this way.

_It’s better to keep them at a distance so they don’t grieve for me later._

He could hear the Creature swear at him in his mind, recoiling in agony. He knew he couldn't keep this up forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took some time to write and edit and rewrite and edit again. But I do plan on continuing playing with this AU, because I have plans. Thank you all for reading! This was fun to build and let loose.


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